Tower of Eternity
by T'Kirr
Summary: TenRose, the sequel to Effigermus. After their adventures on Bosthinatia, the newly-bonded Tenth Doctor and Rose find themselves in a fantastical place where the people are at war. As they adapt to their environment and grow closer to each other, they find new joy and a challenging darkness. Lots of 2006-style fluff, but there's always monsters.
1. Into Paradise

Summary: TenRose, the sequel to Effigermus. After their adventures on Bosthinatia, the newly-bonded Tenth Doctor and Rose find themselves in a fantastical place where the people are at war. As they adapt to their environment and grow closer to each other, they find new joy and a challenging darkness. Lots of 2006-style fluff, but there's always monsters.

A/N: Technically a DW/Aion crossover, but the world of Aion is introduced through the eyes of the Doctor and Rose, and no previous experience with Aion is required. Cover art available on my deviantArt (link from my profile), with two more later because they give too much away and I have to make them first. =) Updates will be slower than its prequel after Chapter 2 (because this one's cliffhanger is just mean), but the story and chapters will be longer, and I've delayed long enough.

Due to where Effigermus left off, the story's M rating for sexual content is earned from the start, and as with its prequel, if you aren't interested in the Doctor and Rose in this respect, please do NOT read. This version is edited for FF's rating system and is not explicit, but the full version can be found on Teaspoon.

Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to BBC. Aion belongs to NCSoft. I make them look good together, which _they_ can't do for legal reasons, but _I_ can because I'm not making any money from it, so HA!

* * *

-^^-W-^^-

The Doctor was sat on the jump seat in the console room of his magnificent ship, the TARDIS. Its coral "desktop theme" lent it an organic feel, with its sweeping forked arches rising up out of the grilled flooring and curving up towards the dome ceiling around its radial architecture. The Time Rotor stretched down from its center, a graceful, luminescent column ending in a bulbous green and glowing console crammed with switches, levers, buttons and such before disappearing down beneath the floor again. The entire outer wall of the room was covered in a grid of glowing roundels set into hexagons, a pattern that reminded him of earlier themes he had used throughout the ship in centuries past.

He was a Time Lord, you see, wandering through Time and Space saving planets, fighting monsters and otherwise geniusing his way out of trouble, and packing his head with all kinds of knowledge and sights he would then impress his companions with, the ones he would find along his journeys to travel with him for a time and keep him from being lonely.

The Doctor's latest companion, however, didn't really fit the bill of his typical companion anymore. Rose Tyler, a twenty-year-old human shoppe girl from London, the Powell Estate. No A-levels, got the bronze medal in gymnastics, leading a boring, Earthly life until he showed up and blew up her job. The blonde was feisty and spirited, challenging the status quo on whatever planet or space station they visited, brandishing her human morals like a weapon against injustice with a refreshing innocence. Brilliantly, she paired this quality with an unrelenting mischievous side, one that had her running after the Doctor into all kinds of trouble and, in a way he seemed to roll with effortlessly from the start, flirting with him.

No, she was _more_ than just a companion, now.

When he met her, the Doctor was dark and brooding, all fuzz for hair, blue eyes and big ears, the Oncoming Storm in a leather jacket. He didn't answer anyone straight and kept anything about himself off limits, because he had just gone through a war, the Time War, and it was all he could do to carry on to keep the dark secrets of his past at bay.

Then he took her hand, and they ran. She chased the darkness away, and he smiled. Oh, how he smiled! She was warm spring sunshine and beauty, pouty and teasing lip gloss and too much mascara that she pulled off perfectly. Her dyed golden hair shone as they ran wherever they went, and the Doctor wondered how he would ever live on without her.

Then the day had come where his mortal enemy returned from the Time War to slaughter the Earth of the future, and the Doctor knew he had to send her home to the past. He would die in his fight to stop the Daleks, but he could let her live out her life on Earth for her natural years. Rose hadn't been okay with the Doctor's deception to save her life, sending his TARDIS and her in it on a one-way trip home through Time. She couldn't sit by while the Doctor died without her, and she had learned by travelling with him that one never gave up, no matter what. Rose pried the console open with the biggest truck her mum could find and absorbed the Time Vortex into her little human head to become the Bad Wolf, saw into all of Time and Space, and sent the TARDIS back to the Doctor, where she proceeded to de-atomise every single Dalek ship. Oh, and she had brought their promiscuous friend back to life. His name's Jack. He'll live forever, literally. Thanks, Rose.

Rose couldn't hold onto the impossible for long. She had saved the Doctor's life, and now it was his turn to save her again. He took the Vortex into himself so he could redirect it back into the heart of the TARDIS where it belonged, and in so doing, it killed him. That was okay, though, because he could cheat this sort of death with a Time Lord trick. He regenerated every single cell in his body, which hurt rather a _lot_. His triple-helix DNA never did keep much in the way of physical looks and personality (or rather it kept a bit of everything of his Gallifreyan species) choosing instead to maintain through a regeneration all that he once was, all his memories and brilliance, reforming into someone else bipedal with two hearts. He had been lucky coming out each time looking fairly human, and even more lucky this tenth time looking somewhat pretty, if Rose's opinion counted for much, which of course it did. Now he was all brown-eyed intensity, a truffle of chocolate hair and sideburns, angular features and a brown, pinstriped suit that fit his tall and lanky form in every occasion. He was now a man of no second chances with a love of adventure, bananas, and Rose, the latter of which only flirted with her even _more_ now.

And it _was _just flirting, until it wasn't. The Doctor had prided himself his entire life of not engaging in what Time Lords considered to have risen above long ago, a primal nature of lesser species. His companions had often been female, young and pretty, but for the most part, they had always been like children to him. He was so old, and Rose was so young. After the war that rendered the Doctor the last of the Time Lords, Rose had taught him to be young again and they had fallen hopelessly in love (how had she done that?). In their last adventure, starting on Chosthu and ending up on an insect-populated planet called Bosthinatia, an awkward set of circumstances forced the Doctor out of years of set ways and out of denial for his feelings towards her. The Doctor had there taken Rose as his bond mate to reunite two species. Twice. Okay, the first time was to create the permanent bond because they were desperately in love. The second time saved the planet. Long story.

They had just gotten back from their life-altering adventure last night, and they proceeded to celebrate the fact that they had survived, finally had time alone where they weren't being chased by the locals, and were looking forward to their future together.

The Doctor propped a converse up on the console, crossed his other leg at the ankle, and breathed in deeply as he recalled the night before with a small smile.

* * *

-^^-W-^^-

In the thrill of the chase down the maze of corridors, the Doctor became just now aware that Rose was going the wrong way. They had passed her room for obvious reasons, as hers had a simple bath. She knew where his room was, but she turned away from it, probably towards the pool. Just past the turn was where he timed himself to catch her up, spinning them to a stop against the wall and pinning her with the length of his body.

"Wrong way," the Doctor panted from exertion. Rose was even more winded, so she merely stared daringly back at her captor. He knew that up to this point he had done well in not pouncing until he had to stop her. They would never get to their destination otherwise if he did more than speak his two words, so he began to guide her back down the other corridor. They picked up their pace again, and the Doctor dropped his hand to hers and they ran the rest of the way.

Rose had never been in the Doctor's room. He would only spend a couple of hours in it at night when Rose was asleep, reading or thinking, but most of the time he would do both of those things in the console room. Rose could always find him if she needed to and knock on his door, but it rarely happened, as she usually found him in the console room, and that's where she would always look first.

Just before the door, the Doctor turned his eyes down to Rose, smiling and speaking softly. "Ours."

Rose's face lit up in her brightest of smiles, and the Doctor couldn't help but return it before stepping back, the sensor recognising him and sliding open the door.

It was very strange to have her inside. Her gaze travelled across the expanse of about twice the volume of her own room, taking in the gently-lit reds and golden coral that weren't lost in shadow. She looked to the unkempt study near the door, and the Doctor had never thought until now that he should actually put the open and stacked books in the bookcase. The rest of the pebbled coral floor was clear to the master bed, and Rose's eyes lingered on the piled fresh linens of crimson with gold trim. A soft glow above the bedside table illuminated another book, one the Doctor remembered having last looked at over a week ago. Beyond the bed in the opposite corner, several of his shirts hung over a chair next to the cherry-like wooden wardrobe.

The Doctor took her hand again, drawing her gaze. "This way."

The doors slid closed as they moved inward and passed the wardrobe through an elegant archway into the en suite, the shiny cobalt blue surfaces catching dozens of flickering candles set all around the intricate coral countertop on one side and a deep basin in the floor on the other. The TARDIS had filled it with dark, steaming water, and the Doctor made a note to thank his ship later.

"It's beautiful," Rose whispered.

The Doctor turned his full attention to his bond mate, lifting a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and watch the candlelight flicker across her face. His eyes shifted to her lips, and he lightly placed two fingertips over them. Rose's eyes drifted closed, and he bent to kiss her, softly and slowly. Bringing his arms up under hers, he wrapped her in a tight embrace, prompting Rose to take hold behind his neck. They reveled in this way for some time, leaving them both breathless as they parted and gazed into each other's eyes.

The Doctor's first thought was to draw Rose's top slowly up her body, but he changed his mind and began at his jacket buttons. He watched her watch him, hoping she understood. He was offering himself.

By the time he had pulled the last layer over his head, Rose was already running her hands up his torso in its wake. Message received. Her touch made his knees weak, and it was all he could do to stay standing while he let her take her time.

They made much shorter work of the rest of their clothing and pressed up flush with each other, Rose's skin hot against his own, their newly formed mental bond flaring to life. Rose's thoughts kept adamantly turning towards the bath, despite her reluctance to let go of him. The Doctor, more used to controlling psychic connections, moved first and stepped back, making it easier for Rose to recover. They both wanted to wash the remnants of Bosthinatia away, establishing their new intimacy here in the TARDIS.

The basin was framed by a recessed wall on three sides. Two fluffy blue towels hung on one side. Buttons, knobs, switches, and bottles of product rimmed the other side. The water was quite hot to the touch, but not uncomfortably so. As Rose adjusted to the temperature a little at a time, the Doctor distracted himself from her body by reaching to the far side for a bath soap. After briefly peering at the label, he poured some into the water and pressed a button, forcing the water into a sudden sudsy whirl around the basin. Rose squealed in surprise, and the Doctor grinned up at her in delight.

The water calmed down, and as soon as Rose had lowered herself to the seat, the water coming up past her chest, the Doctor closed the distance. He gazed down into her eyes, the steamy water, the pebbled surface of the seat, and their position bringing him back to the long night fleeing through the Bosthinatian swamp, when they had been hiding at the edge of the water, exhausted and passing the time exploring each other, really, for the first time. He wondered if their future visits to the bath would ever be without that memory. Instead of the pungent musk of swamp, however, the fragrance of soap from another alien world filled his nose.

Rose gathered floating suds and rubbed them up the Doctor's arms. Amused, the Doctor returned the favor, appreciating the way it slicked her skin. They were soon both covered in popping soap bubbles, and the Doctor reached for another bottle, offering it to Rose. She went to take it, but he drew it back.

"No, let me? For your hair."

Rose grinned, biting her lip, and nodded. While the Doctor poured from the bottle onto his fingers, Rose lowered herself into the water, soaking her hair. He smiled at her as she sat up again and, now having his hands committed to a task, the Doctor braced himself on either side of her lap. Her grin disappeared as she watched him concentrate on working the shampoo in evenly and avoiding getting it into her eyes. After he had scrubbed it into a lather, it became more about feeling the softness of the strands and the way they wrapped around his fingertips, and Rose's eyes had closed.

A few minutes of playing with her hair had passed, and Rose picked up the bottle where the Doctor had put it, eyeing him steadily. He got the hint and sank back, dousing his own hair. She raised her eyebrows as he slicked the water back and out with his hands, flattening his otherwise unruly hair.

"Where'd it all go?"

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at her. "Improvement?"

She came at him with shampoo. "Most definitely not." Her hands were light at first, unsure, but she finally began to work the shampoo in, and the Doctor sighed, trying to keep his eyes open just enough so he could watch her. She finally grinned and sat back, giggling and biting her lip again. "Now that's an improvement."

His hands went up, finding she had stuck out his soapy hair in all directions. Smirking, he flicked water at her, and she squeaked satisfyingly.

The Doctor pulled a hose from the edge of the basin and squeezed the handle over Rose's head, being careful to spray the clean water down the back. She did the same for him, except when she was finished, a mischievous expression came over Rose, and she flicked the spray into his face. He jerked and snorted in surprise, quickly recovering and disarming her, his eyes wild in aroused retaliation.

"You started it!" Rose managed to laugh out as he pounced.

He drew very close and growled, "And I'll finish it."

The Doctor proceeded to do just that, snogging Rose deeply and possessively. Their moans echoed harmoniously through the bath, accompanied only by the occasional slosh of water and the ever present and distant roar of their ship as it spun and drifted slowly through the Vortex. They took their time, having all and none of it, apart from the rest of the universe.

They could only wait as long as their own patience, however. The Doctor sought more by framing the right side of her head with his conductive fingertips and delving deeply into her body and mind. Minds chased the other's elusive thoughts as they tenaciously sought after physical and emotional completion.

The door appeared before the Doctor, that evasive door within Rose's mind. He was so close now that he could make out "Bad Wolf" written across it, warning him away. Rose cried out, seemingly in pain, but then his sense of mental direction was spun decidedly away, caught up in the tangled chaotic emotional energy, and the Doctor couldn't help but be swept away with her.

The Doctor came back to himself, trembling against Rose's form. It was impossible to read coherent thoughts from her, clouded over as they were by emotion, and he wanted to revel in it forever. He opened his eyes, and it took him a moment to register that the lights had gone out, and another moment to realise he had sloshed enough water out of the basin to drown the candles. Another moment passed, and the Doctor decided he was overheated.

Pulling reluctantly away, the Doctor stretched out with his mind, attempting to maintain his connection with Rose even as he moved to sweep away water and candles from the corner of the basin. He didn't have to worry about loss of physical contact much, however, as Rose clung readily to him. He got his feet under him and pulled Rose with him out of the water to sit at the edge and rest against the cool wall of the bath.

Rose stayed curled comfortably into the Doctor's side while he hugged her firmly to himself, mentally whispering his thoughts of love and devotion to her while he pressed soft kisses to her wet hair. As they were sat recovering, several roundels in the walls gradually brightened, just enough to see by.

The Doctor mentally thanked the TARDIS, then peered down at Rose and inquired softly, "You all right?"

"Of course," Rose responded, a bit confused, and looked up at him with a grin. "How could I not be more than all right?"

The Doctor sighed in relief. "You seemed to be in pain."

A faint line formed between Rose's brows. "I was...for a second. Didn't last, though."

A sense of concern returned. "Where did I hurt you?"

Rose smiled again. "You didn't." She frowned a little in concentration and raised her fingers to her temple. "Here," she paused, moving her hand back vaguely, "somewhere, not a specific place. All over my head, really." She saw his alarmed expression and rushed to assure him. "It's fine, though, really. It's passed."

The Doctor nodded, breathing deeply again and masking his concern. This wasn't good. She had felt pain before, back on Bosthinatia, doing the same thing. Still, the pain had passed quickly, which sounded more like simple over-exertion. She wasn't used to psychic activity. He had no doubt overwhelmed her in a way he hadn't expected.

"I am knackered, though," Rose continued, then smiled up at him. "Can we sleep?"

"Of course, yes," the Doctor replied, telling himself that she would be fine for now, that sleep was the best thing for her. He would check her over after she had rested. He untangled himself from Rose and stood once again in the basin, kicking the plug out with his foot and pulling out the hose. He rinsed off the remnants of soap from his shoulders down, then did the same for Rose as she stood. The water drained from the basin quickly, and they were both soon snatching up the towels and drying off. His eyes never left her body as they did so, and Rose was soon blushing and biting her lip and tying the towel around herself. The Doctor drew close, lowering his head to hers. "You're beautiful, Rose." He raised a hand to her cheek. "Mind and body. Don't be ashamed."

Rose grinned and thwapped his leg with a corner of her towel. "I'm not. Not really. I mean, I'll get used to it, you know. I just...don't want you jumping me on my way to get some sleep." She teased him with the tip of her tongue between her teeth.

The Doctor perked an eyebrow and smirked lopsidedly in surprised amusement. He otherwise didn't respond, having to concede to her point, and followed her back into the bedroom.

Rose left the towel on the pebbled floor and climbed directly in from the side of the bed, quickly burrowing under the sheets and settling in the center of the bed. The Doctor didn't even ask and followed, cuddling up behind her.

The Doctor stayed with Rose for some time, allowing her the rest and comfort they couldn't get on Bosthinatia. He wasn't able to sleep until he retrieved his sonic screwdriver from his jacket pocket in the bath and gave Rose a quick scan. Finding nothing more than what he had previously surmised as simple over-exertion, he slept a couple of hours himself.

He finally got up and dressed, reluctant to leave Rose's warmth but fearing he couldn't resist the temptation she presented any longer if he didn't leave. She needed her rest. He decided to occupy himself by checking on Gina's progress on the planet Chosthu like he promised he would to Gina's living brother, Nash. Once he was satisfied Gina would make a complete recovery, he kept the TARDIS parked in case Rose wanted to see for herself and began tinkering while he waited for Rose to awaken.

* * *

-^^-W-^^-

The Doctor now sat thoughtfully in the jump seat, his ankles crossed on the edge of the console as he recalled the previous night with Rose in every detail that was his near-perfect memory. So near perfect, in fact, that his breathing was beginning to respond to said memories and he was just now considering returning to bed, the idea of cuddling up to Rose so strongly alluring, when he reminded himself why he was in the console room in the first place.

Right. Stay away from Rose. Let her sleep. Do something else. The Doctor dropped his head back on the seat and stared at the domed ceiling. He cocked his jaw, and the ventilation cable leading towards the back of the room caught his eye. It wasn't a very large leak, but he had been meaning to fix it for months.

Fix the vent cable. Let Rose sleep. Where she was, which was currently in his bed. No, _their_ bed. Fix the vent cable later...?

"Damn!" the Doctor bit out, jumping up from the chair, which squeaked at his sudden absence. Another little thing he could fix. Not important, mind you, but neither was the vent cable.

He was fixing it. Now.

The Doctor grabbed the mallet from the console and climbed to the second level, walked to just under where the vent cable was attached, and reached up with the mallet. The fastening was stuck, of course, and wouldn't release the cable. "You're falling apart around me, old girl. What am I gonna do with you, hey?" He gripped the mallet tighter and pounded at the fastening until it broke, then ducked as the cable swung downward and bounced along the rotor and console.

Heaving a sigh at what battles he could win, the Doctor trotted over to the ladder and climbed down. Putting the mallet back, the Doctor then clutched at the hanging cable and inspected the leak. Not so hard to fix, he thought, and fished into his jacket for his sonic screwdriver. He looked up at the ceiling, his eyes travelling the length of where the cable had been. Getting the cable back up, however, would be interesting.

With the sonic loud in his ears, he hadn't heard her approach, and it had been barely a glimpse out of the corner of his eye. Rose stood there, yawning sleepily and fully dressed, in fresh makeup and appearing ready for their next adventure. His hearts leapt with joy at seeing her.

Rose smiled endearingly and rubbed her hand through her loose hair. "You weren't in bed."

"I'm sorry, Rose. I knew you needed to sleep. Did I wake you?"

She nodded, her eyes still looking a bit glassy. "TARDIS traveling kind of hard to ignore."

"Well, you'll be happy to know Gina's going to be just fine." He gestured with the entire length of hanging cable. "You can pop outside to look if you'd like, just don't let them see you through the window."

Rose shrugged and made her way towards the jump seat. "Of course they're fine. I knew that already."

The Doctor frowned, surprised she seemed not nearly as concerned for Nash and Gina as she was before, but shrugged it off. "So!" he said brightly, letting go of the cable and stepping towards her. Really, all he wanted to do at the moment was give her a good-morning kiss, but kissing led to other things. Decidedly dangerous things, since he really wanted to give her a check-up before possibly stressing her psyche further with attempts at telepathic communication. So, he didn't. "Where would you like to go next? Somewhere new, somewhere fancy?" Rose stared at the wall, and the Doctor desperately tried to read her expression, his hands finding their way to his pockets. Had he said something wrong? Done something? Was it something about last night? He softened his tone, freeing his hands and fiddling with a few controls. The action tended to jump start his mind into thinking of destinations. "After a quick check-up, of course, since you were feeling out of sorts last night. Maybe somewhere more quiet?" He smiled at her, hoping to win her over. "You mentioned something about a proper date once we left Bosthinatia."

Rose was now watching the dangling cable, frowning. "Yeah, sure, in a minute. What's that down here, for?"

He didn't have to look at what she meant, now disappointed she had essentially shrugged off another of his brilliant ideas. "Just fixed a leak in it. Wasn't important, but it needed doing ages ago."

Her dark eyebrows rose. "You gonna put it back?"

He frowned, now annoyed. Was it really bothering her that much? "Yeah, eventually. Does it matter?"

Rose noticed his frown and relaxed, smiling softly. "I just don't want you leaving things lying around, half-done." She gestured in a forwards motion. "You'd send us off someplace, the TARDIS would rattle us about like usual, and that thing would smack you in the back of your thick head, and then you'd grumble about it." Her smile turned teasing. "Then I'd tell you that I told you so, and you'd grumble some more." Rose pointed up, instructing him as she would a child. "Why don't you just put it back, and we'll go do whatever?"

The Doctor shrugged, happy to educate her, as usual. "I'd love to avoid you telling me 'I told you so,' but believe it or not, I don't know of a ladder on the TARDIS long enough to get up there." He frowned. "Not that would fit down the corridor, anyway. It's been ages since the last time I had to do anything up there, and since then, I took what I had apart and used it in sections around the pool. You have me to thank for making it easier for you to get in and out, so you're welcome." He crossed his arms. "It's going to take me a bit to put one back together, and I don't feel like doing that right now. I feel like doing something with you."

Rose was laughing at him, amused. "Okay, so no ladder. Why don't you just fly up?"

The Doctor stared at Rose. Now she was just being funny. Now, she would finally let it go. Check-up, then breakfast. He started towards the corridor. Maybe he'd take her someplace nice for breakfast. "Mm, that'd be nice, wouldn't it? If I could only just."

Rose stared after him like he'd dribbled down his front. "Seriously, why don't you? Then we can be on our way, right?"

The Doctor paused and peered quizzically at her. What was she playing at? Was she still dreaming? He had never seen her sleepwalk before. She seemed perfectly lucid. "I don't know, why don't I?" He looked at her, and she looked back, seemingly confused. The Doctor glanced away and rubbed at his nose, then gestured towards the console. "Yes, I _could_ turn off the gravity for a bit, but unfortunately, if you _must_ know, I had to bypass a circuit a while back, which means it would _also_ turn off the gravity in that lovely pool I was just talking about. I _could_ drain the pool first, then hope everything from here to said pool wouldn't mind either, and if you ask me, that would take more time than just fixing up a ladder!" He finished by throwing his hands up and watching her expectantly.

Rose huffed and slid off the chair, sliding her tongue up the side of her mouth. "Fine, I'll do it. Just tell me what to do once I'm up there."

The Doctor crossed his arms and just stood, watching with interest and curiosity as to what she was going to do.

Rose moved away from the jump seat, glanced to either side and braced her legs under her, feet spread apart and knees slightly bent as she focused on the large domed space above them.

Then her eyes rolled, and she promptly fainted dead to the floor.

"Rose!" the Doctor cried and rushed to her side. Sleepwalkers didn't _faint_, did they?

A much worse thought came to mind, and he realised the truth.

The Doctor had _hurt_ her, done damage to her mind with their new psychic bond, and now she was going mad.

If that wasn't enough, the Time Rotor suddenly slid to life all on its own, pumping up and down in a sudden groaning rush towards some unknown destination. The Doctor clutched at the grille of the floor on either side of Rose, pinning her down as the TARDIS suddenly shook violently in flight. His mind ran through half a dozen of the likeliest causes for such an unsteady flight, and none of them were good.

The console lighting flickered madly, the Time Rotor groaning heavily with effort. His ship needed him desperately, but it was all the Doctor could do to cling to the floor and hold Rose down as the TARDIS pitched and rolled.

With one last shudder, the TARDIS suddenly landed. Yes, landed, not crashed. They had landed somewhere. But where?

Now fairly sure the ship wouldn't throw him across the room, the Doctor scrambled to his feet and dashed to the monitor, grasping it and spinning it towards him. He stared at the readings, trying to make sense of what just happened. Stable surface. Breathable atmosphere. Other strange readings, but nothing appearing to be dangerous. He squinted. Hold on, they were on the _inside_ of the planet?

Now sure they weren't in immediate danger, unless of course the TARDIS decided to pick itself up on its own again and travel somewhere else, the Doctor looked back to Rose and rushed back to kneel down at her side, simultaneously retrieving his screwdriver.

"Rose? Rose! Can you hear me?" the Doctor pleaded, his voice becoming less steady with each word as he switched on the sonic and scanned Rose up and down. He turned it upright and peered at it. He didn't know _why_ she had fainted, but she seemed to be perfectly stable now. Sleeping, even. He looked down at her face. Should he wake her?

The Doctor looked to the TARDIS doors. The ship had launched itself into flight directly _after_ Rose had fainted. Neither event shouldn't have happened. Were they connected somehow?

Would he find answers to her condition outside those doors?

He peered regretfully at Rose's face. "I'm so sorry, Rose." The Doctor leaned down and kissed her forehead in sincere apology. He hadn't known. He _should_ have known, but he had been stupid, and he had caused her harm. He felt his own shuddering breath from his nose travel down her face, and he raised his head. "I'll fix this. Hold on for me."

The Doctor stood, his eyes fastened to the doors, and walked towards what he hoped to be answers.

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, squinting into the peculiar light. The sights and sounds of a forest assaulted his senses all at once, and he could immediately feel a foreign energy pressing in on his skin. As his eyes adjusted and the door clicked shut behind him, the Doctor looked on in awe at his surroundings.

He was on the side of a platform, its railing just next to him, the only thing between him and hundreds of feet straight down. A bridge led away from his platform in front of him towards a larger platform, which branched off to the left into a pillared entrance of an enormous rock. The bridge continued on ahead of that platform into another rock. Both entrances were surrounded by a huge flat disc rimmed in blue glowing runes, covering about half the otherwise uncut rock faces. To the right of the central platform was another small one with two winged statues facing each other. Everything was the colour of sandstone.

Peering around the TARDIS, the Doctor could see it had landed right next to an opening that matched the other two. It was a trio of uncut stone towers, in the center of a great canyon. Waterfalls danced over rocky crags and across healthy green foliage all over it, finally falling straight down into large pools below.

It was _incredible_. The beauty of the place was unmatched.

There were people on the platforms and bridges. He didn't have time to study them before he was distracted by a flash of white. Off the little statue platform, he caught sight of a large white bird gliding off and straight out from the central rock building, out towards a gap in the canyon to the Doctor's right. His eyes left the bird, catching on what looked like floating rocks. He blinked. Rocks, just floating out in the air before him.

There was a scuffling noise behind him, and the Doctor turned just in time to see what appeared to be two large birds in a tussle, one white and one black, in a careening blur through the air. They broke apart, and the Doctor gasped in horrible surprise as the black one banked sharply around the TARDIS and directly towards him.

The Doctor dodged just in time, but not without losing his balance over the railing. He grasped wildly for a hold on it, but it was no good. As the Doctor fell with no hope of catching himself, he couldn't help but wonder at the silliest thought, like why could he swear he had seen a flash of metal and cloth as that bird had flown by?


	2. Daeva

Thank you all for the warm welcome! Expect Saturday updates from here, and I will strive to maintain it as long as I can. Teaspoon and FF versions will have no differences for a while, and will be noted.

* * *

The Doctor plummeted towards the ground far below, sure he was heading all too swiftly towards his next regeneration. All he could think about was how he couldn't leave Rose behind, not now.

Something violently collided with him, knocking the breath from his lungs and shoving him sideways. His descent slowed until he was being carried along. The Doctor clung instinctively to the strong grip, catching nothing but blurred surroundings and white feathers in his vision. Seconds later, his horizontal speed slowed to a stop and he was set safely on his feet on solid ground.

"What?" the Doctor squeaked in confusion, tottering a moment before clutching his chest in an attempt to steady his racing hearts. "Well. That was...terrifying," he understated, studying his saviour with wild eyes. "And you're not a bird."

The young man before him was dressed in a full suit of elegant leather armor tinted a dark green, and he wore a short blade at each hip. His skin was almost angelic in its smoothness, his soft brown eyes betraying his obvious predisposition for combat. The blonde hair was about twice the length of the Doctor's, but it managed to stick up just the same. "Nope." He then grinned and waited, appearing like he expected to be rewarded. When the Doctor merely stared at him, still taking it all in, the man continued, "I heard your cry up there," he pointed, "from down here. You're lucky!"

"Yes, I..." the Doctor paused, looking up from where he had fallen and staring in awe, "...get that a lot." The "platform" he must have been standing on was connected to a large rock room, yes, but the entire thing was bristling with hanging stalactites and supported by nothing at all. The one opposite it was the same, around the central platform, which was attached directly to the main rock building. This one, however, was indeed a tower, supported by two columns that appeared as if they had grown that way, like massive tree trunks.

He blinked and looked back to the odd young man, who just kept watching him. The Doctor looked him over, his eyes still wide. "Did you just have wings a moment ago?"

An eyebrow went up. "Yes."

Too whirling in confusion to be annoyed, the Doctor simply asked, "Where'd they go?"

The man in leather chuckled. "You mean these?"

There was a slight motion, as if someone had thumped him between the shoulders, and the shape of two unfurling wings materialised until they were a pair of solid extensions of vibrant white feathers. They flexed gently as he held them up, shining occasionally as they caught the light.

"Yeah," the Doctor breathed, staring. "Those." If he hadn't seen so many incredible things throughout his lifetimes, the Doctor would have thought it altogether possible that he hit his head and was now dreaming. A smile of awe slid across his face. "You're beautiful."

The man's fair cheeks tinged pink. "Thanks. Um..."

"No, really, you're gorgeous," the Doctor insisted, looking him over as a whole. The wings, the smooth skin, the youthful appearance. It reminded him of Earth's early depictions of angels. "What species are you?"

He eyed the Doctor funny, traces of self-consciousness disappearing. "Oh, I'm human, like you." His tone turned to disbelief. "Have you never seen a Daeva before?"

"Ah." "No. I'm...from the outskirts," he said, explaining away his ignorance of local convention easily despite his distraction. Human? How could this creature be _human_? In what time, in what _place_ had humans developed wings, and ones that just sort of...appeared? Was a "Daeva" a type of human?

"I thought everyone..." the man began, the wings suddenly folding until they were just...gone. His eyes narrowed, expression turning clearly suspicious.

There was a beat, then the Doctor exclaimed, "Right!" and bounded forward, all smiles. The man twisted quickly into a defensive stance, hands ready at their blades. The Doctor stuck out his hand in a friendly gesture. "I'm the Doctor, sorry. Bit of an awkward way to meet, what with me falling to my death and you saving me and all. No time for introductions! What's your name?"

Even the man's hands were gloved in forest green leather, and after a moment's hesitation, he offered one and shook the Doctor's hand. "Raegis. You're...who?"

"The Doctor. Tell me, Raegis," he carried through, turning to face the place he had fallen from. He needed to get back to Rose. "Would you be willing to help me get back up there?" A sudden motion between the two trunk-like columns of the structure caught his eye. A thin flat platform raced from the ground upwards and disappeared into the stone dwelling above. "Unless...is that a lift?" He glanced at Raegis, who nodded readily. "Well, then." He offered his hand again. "Thanks again. Hope I don't need saving next time we meet." He finished shaking his hand, said, "Bye for now!" and took off like a shot.

He raced down the small grassy hill where Raegis had landed them towards the tower, and when he got to the bottom, the Daeva suddenly appeared next to him on gliding wings. The wings disappeared, and Raegis began to run alongside him with practiced ease. _Cheater_, the Doctor thought. The terrain rose upwards again, and the pair began to climb the hill the tower itself was sitting on. The Doctor slowed to a walk, a bit winded, and looked to the side at a beautiful red and purple bird flying low over the grass and singing a beautiful song.

"That's a pluma," Raegis said, still matching the Doctor's pace. "You look like you've never seen one of those, either!"

"Never heard one, either," the Doctor agreed. His thoughts of showing one to Rose inevitably turned him forwards again and quickened his steps as they approached the top of the hill. Two men stood guard on either side of a gap in a fence made of thorns. These men wore heavier armor than Raegis did, both holding shields and swords. They paid the two little attention. The top of the ramp behind them had two more guardsmen.

Long stone pieces dropped down from around the lift's path far above, reminiscent of a hanging crystal chandelier. The lift was far above them, on its way back down. In its absence straight ahead was an enormous hole, its walls cast with a glowing green light. When the Doctor got close enough to the edge of the pathway and squinted into the brilliant light below, he could make out a huge stone ring sitting in a pit.

"The Abyss Gate," Raegis supplied. "You don't wanna go down there. I'm not even allowed, yet."

The Doctor was about to ask how he would even _get_ down there if he wanted to when the lift whooshed down in front of them and settled perfectly against the edge of the pathway. Beyond the lift was another pathway just like this one, which led out the other side of the columns and into more forest and water pools beyond.

Raegis jogged onto the pad as soon as it had landed. "Come on, or you'll be left behind!" The Doctor quickly followed, marveling at how a broad, flat disc could rise and fall in a predetermined path with no signs of propulsion. Reversing gravity well? Magnetic field from the columns on either side? Perhaps something with the light from the Gate below?

The disc began to rise, faster and faster until the forest outside was moving _way_ too quickly for comfort. The Doctor resisted latching onto Raegis' shoulder and looked up into the fast-approaching tower, holding his own.

The lift slowed just short of throwing him into the low ceiling, and the Doctor stumbled off the pad as quickly as he could, not wishing to ride the thing back down. "Would it kill them to slow it down a bit?" the Doctor whinged. Raegis just chuckled, which annoyed the Doctor, since the man could have just flown up if he wanted to.

The Doctor stopped cold. Rose had mentioned flying up in the console room, as if it were the obvious solution to the natural limitations of gravity. What made her think in such a way? The TARDIS hadn't even landed here in this winged world yet, and she was speaking as if...

Terrifying thoughts of Time and the Bad Wolf flew through the Doctor's head, and he turned away from the lift. He was in a cathedral of a hall, bustling with activity. The inside of the rock building was nothing like a cave, but all man-made arches, columns and a second-story balcony creating the ceiling directly above him and running along the side walls. An archway under either far side of the balcony showed a stairway, and the stone tile floor was topped with a red carpet that ran between him and the opening on the far wall. Even as he watched, a white-winged person flew through and landed on the balcony to the left, while another sprouted wings from the floor and flew out.

That was the main entrance he saw from outside. He could see the central platform. Just to the right of it should be a bridge leading right to the TARDIS.

He had to get to Rose.

The Doctor crossed straight through the hall at a hurried pace, and he could hear Raegis right behind him. Why was he following him, anyway? He was certainly suspicious of the Doctor. No matter—he wouldn't be following him into the TARDIS.

A woman's shout could be heard over the din of human voices, and the two soldiers on either side of the exit looked up towards the right. They then looked to the Doctor, and as he approached, they moved in front of him.

"I'm sorry, sir. We've been asked to detain you."

"What? Why?" The Doctor turned and looked up to the balcony. Two women were looking at him over the edge.

"I've met him just now, " Raegis claimed to the soldiers, "but I'll go, too."

"This way, sir," one of the soldiers said, and motioned him towards the archway in the wall under the balcony.

The Doctor's mind raced as he looked around at his options. The TARDIS was so close, and he _might_ be able to give these guardsmen the slip, if he were quick enough. It was doubtful he could outrun them on foot before they simply flew down in front of him on the bridge, however. He looked up to the balcony. What would these people want with him? The soldiers weren't forcing him, but waiting for the Doctor's move. He desperately wanted to get to Rose, but if these people just wished to talk and there was a chance they could give him answers as to why the TARDIS had landed here, he couldn't pass up the opportunity. That was why he stepped out of the TARDIS in the first place, after all. Rose would be all right for another few minutes, wouldn't she?

Seeing little other choice, the Doctor moved towards the stairs, with Raegis following. The stairwell led up to a landing lit by candelabras, then switched back and led upwards again. He emerged at the back of the balcony. Another soldier stood in front of the railing ahead of him. To the left was a winged stone statue, different than the others he had seen. A man in a robe was bent over at its base, hands on his knees as if catching his breath, and another man in a robe had a hand on his shoulder as if assisting him. Just beyond them was a short set of steps leading up to the central landing with a tall archway that created the ceiling above the lift. Just before the stairs stood the two women. They wore matching white strapless dresses with full sleeves. They waited for him.

"There must be some mistake," the Doctor said politely as he approached. "I'm not from around here, so you've got to have the wrong person." He stuck a thumb out over his shoulder. "Unless this is about the blue box outside? If it's in the way, I'd be happy to move it. Right now, even."

"Come with us," one of the women insisted, waving him over.

"Really, though," the Doctor insisted, some of his desperation coming through, still pointing with his thumb. "My...my wife." It was a strange word on his tongue, but that's what Rose was to him, now, wasn't it? "She's not well. I've got to get back to her, right now."

"The woman," the one with shorter, reddish hair began. "The one calmed by Aether. She is fine now." She smiled and began to walk. "Come with us."

The Doctor's hand slowly dropped as he processed her words. Well, this was interesting. Knowing what she did, the Doctor found himself believing her. After a moment, he walked towards them, and the women led him around the statue to the left and into another room in the stone wall.

It was a much smaller hall, roughly smaller than the console room but a bit taller, its cathedral style lending it an air of importance. Transparent drapes extended from lit chandeliers at the highest point in the center and extended outward across the ceiling. At the back of the hall was a man in an intricately-patterned white robe holding a wooden staff. A couple of soldiers stood in the corners, but otherwise they were alone in the quieter room.

"What is your name?" the blonde woman asked as they walked.

"You can call me the Doctor," he replied.

"Thedokter. Strange name."

"No, just...Doctor. Like a title."

"Ohh, I see." She stopped in front of the man in the robe. "Doctor, this is Diomedes, the high priest of Eltnen Fortress. I'm Gaia, Daeva of Earth." She gestured to the other woman. "This is Clio, a Daeva of Song."

"A pleasure, yes," the Doctor hurried. "Forgive me, though, what's all this about?"

"I recognise him," Clio told the man with the staff. "He's the same I've seen."

Diomedes was watching the Doctor closely, even as he nodded towards the ginger-haired woman. "Clio tells me she's had a vision of you. That you wield the power of an Artifact."

"It's disturbed the flow of Aether around the Fortress," Gaia added.

The Doctor frowned, looking between Diomedes and Gaia. "If you mean my TARDIS, then I apologise. Is it causing a problem?"

"No, it doesn't appear so," Gaia assured him.

"Where did you find it?" Diomedes asked eagerly. "And what do you mean to do with it here?"

"I use it for transport, and I didn't _find_ it anywhere around here." The Doctor wasn't liking the direction their questions were going. "Really, it's fine. Harmless, nothing to worry about."

"It's your duty to surrender such a device to Brigade General Telemachus," Diomedes insisted.

"Diomedes," Clio warned softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. She looked kindly to the Doctor. "Forgive him. When it comes to ancient relics, Diomedes gets...a little excited. You've lived a thousand songs, and your song here is just beginning."

Diomedes frowned at Clio. "You make it sound as if he's lived as long as a Daeva." He gestured toward the Doctor. "He's hardly got any Aether in him." Diomedes regarded him again, studying the Doctor even more closely than before. "In fact, his life force is...off." He moved to the side, studying the Doctor from his new angle. "It's like he doesn't have a _trace_ of Aether at all!"

"Impossible," Gaia dismissed. "Even if he were from Balaurea, he would have a trace."

"Right," the Doctor interrupted, "and there's a perfectly good reason for what you're seeing." Clearly, these people weren't even considering that he wasn't from their world, which meant he didn't want to let on what he was. At this rate, however, it seemed they were going to work it out on their own. He had questions he needed to ask, but asking the wrong ones would surely give away the fact that he wasn't one of them. "It's...um...complicated. It...has to do with the Artifact."

Gaia gasped. Diomedes' eyes went wide, and he asked, "It drains Aether from those around it?"

The Doctor groaned inwardly. Now he had done it. "No, that's not it. Really, though, it's fine, I assure you."

"Explain yourself," Diomedes demanded, "or I'll have no choice but to report you to Telemachus."

The Doctor drew the tip of his tongue along his lip nervously. Everything he thought to say only seemed to back him into a corner in the end, and he didn't have a clue what to do.

-^^-W-^^-

Rose pulled in a deep breath and rolled her head. She felt the grating of the floor against her skull, which prompted her to open her eyes. The console room thrummed around her. Why was she lying on the floor? Propping herself up, she looked around. Where was the Doctor?

She tried to remember what happened, but her brain was all fuzzy. The last thing she remembered clearly was last night in the Doctor's room. Rose could feel a blush creep up her neck. That _had_ been real, hadn't it? Or had she vividly remembered the best dream of her life?

The Time Rotor was still, in its column. They had landed somewhere.

"Doctor?" Rose called out. Her voice reverberated around the room, but there was no answer.

The TARDIS felt empty. The Doctor had to be outside somewhere. Climbing to her feet, Rose steadied herself against the battered jump seat and combed her fingers through her hair. After catching her breath, she moved towards the doors.

-^^-W-^^-

The world outside rivaled that at the top of her list of the most beautiful places Rose had ever seen. Her first impression was one of a treetop village, except the tower of rock with its bridges wasn't really a tree. It was surrounded by a canyon with trees and waterfalls, though, and the sun was shining brilliantly.

Rose wondered if the Doctor had landed them on a pleasure planet. She called for him and peered behind the TARDIS into the room inside the rock building. It appeared to be a shoppe, but there was no sign of the Doctor. Striding across the bridge, she looked down over the side. She was _really_ high up! There would be no way she could survive a fall like that.

She could hear him in her head, saying, _Rule Number One: Don't wander off_. Really though, he was the one who had wandered off first, wasn't he? Besides, she could swear she heard his voice coming from that big rock ahead. If this really was a pleasure planet, he was probably off chatting up some alien and sipping on a margarita.

Hold on, that didn't make sense. Why would he leave her lying on the floor of the console room?

A blur of white wings flashed in front of her on its way out the doorway into the open air. It stopped and hovered for a moment, and Rose could see it was a man with wings. He flapped twice, then dove down over the side of the platform, out of sight.

Well, the locals were definitely interesting. Winged people! How cool was that?

Rose stopped just inside what looked like a great foyer. It had to be the main room, though, because it looked like it took up most of the building. Two men in armor flanked the entrance, and Rose walked up to one of them with a winning smile.

"Excuse me. You wouldn't happen to have seen a man come through here in a pinstriped suit?"

The soldier raised an eyebrow. "Yes, actually..." He pointed up at the balcony to the left.

"Great, thanks!" Rose spotted the stairs, and before she turned, she noticed the two soldiers share a look. She walked away, grinning to herself. Perhaps the console room floor hadn't mussed her hair as much as she had thought.

Rose sighed in contentment as she bounded up the steps up to the balcony. She couldn't help herself. This place made her feel so _alive_. She might never want to leave.

There was a short stack of steps ahead to an upper landing, the entire balcony creating a U shape around the foyer. The soldier had pointed towards this side of the balcony, so as Rose passed a stone statue with wings, she peered into the doorway just to the left.

There he was! Rose grinned and slipped quietly into the room. The Doctor was facing three people in white. A man in green leather stood near the back, and a couple of men dressed like soldiers stood in the far corners. When she saw the tension on everyone's faces, her grin lost its strength.

"Explain yourself," the man in white was saying to the Doctor, "or I'll have no choice but to report you to Telemachus."

"Hey," Rose offered softly. They all turned to her. "What's going on?"

"Rose!" the Doctor shouted in delight. He ran to her, and Rose grinned at him, allowing herself to be swept up in his embrace. He rumbled happily into her hair before pulling back to look into her face. "You all right?"

"Yeah, 'course I am. More than all right!" Rose beamed at him, then looked to the other four. "What about you?"

"Brilliant, yes!" The Doctor turned to regard the others a moment. "Well, not him. Diomedes is a bit...shall we say, _suspicious_. But he needn't be! Isn't that right, Clio?" The Doctor led Rose by the hand towards them. "Daeva of Song? I think our answers lie in this vision of yours. Tell us about it?"

Whatever tension that had been there seemed to dissipate as everyone now looked to the ginger-haired woman. She smiled warmly at Rose.

"You look well. I also recognise you from my vision. Your name is Rose? The name is beautiful, as is your aura of Aether."

Rose maintained her polite smile, but didn't know what Clio meant. The Doctor started, however, jumping to arm's length to look at her. He looked back to Clio.

"What do you mean? You see Aether in her?"

All three of the people in white nodded their agreement, and the Doctor frowned back at Rose in confusion.

"Why are you concerned, Doctor?" Clio asked. "You said yourself she was not well before, and now she appears to be. I told you, the Aether calms her."

Rose gazed back at the Doctor. His eyes relaxed somewhat at Clio's words, but he kept looking her over intently. "Was there something wrong with me? Is that why I was asleep on the floor?"

The Doctor pulled Rose into a hug. "We'll speak of it later. Like Clio said...I think you're going to be all right." He squeezed her a little harder.

"What's Aether?"

The Doctor stilled around her, and Rose could instantly sense that she had said something wrong.

"I mean..." Rose began, thinking furiously of how to recover. "Obviously, it's Aether, but what's it to me? Like..." Rose looked to Clio. "You said it calms me. How?" Rose bit her lip as she resisted the urge to ramble and her heart beat faster.

"We are all Aether at heart," the cross man the Doctor had called Diomedes said. "It's our lifeblood. Aion created all of us, everything around us. Aether is his pure power at work."

Clio nodded. "I don't know why you were not well, but I saw that simply the high concentration of Aether around the Fortress was enough for your particular illness. If only all ailments were so easily treated." Clio gestured to the woman across from her. "Gaia knows well that regions across Atreia have varied amounts."

"It's true. So far, we've built fortresses on three Abyss Gates. It's what allows our Daevas to fly."

Rose's head was spinning with new concepts she wanted to ask about, but she kept her mouth shut and looked to the Doctor.

"What is it you want with me, then? Why did you have a vision about us?"

Clio shook her head. "Your purpose is not yet known. I only know it is of importance, child of Siel."

The Doctor's brow furrowed. "Siel?"

Clio, who had so far been the most patient and understanding, showed a touch of annoyance. "Lady Siel, Empyrean Lord of Time? She of course is no longer with us, but I know your presence is because of her, and that you are here to do her will."


	3. Aether

The Doctor had convinced Diomedes, Gaia and Clio to let them leave. They acknowledged that they didn't know what his purpose there was, and he argued that if they didn't let him go, he couldn't get to finding out what it was himself. He claimed he had new information that would help him to research the reason he was here, and he promised to return once he found out more. Rose was eager to hear this information.

It wasn't unusual for the Doctor and Rose to find themselves somewhere people were expecting the Doctor, even though he had never been there before, and the two of them would end up playing a big part in stopping evil. It felt to be one of those times, and Rose was confident their new mystery had begun. She would follow the Doctor as he found clues, and she would help him, as always.

As soon as the Doctor and Rose stepped down off the balcony into the empty stairwell, Rose was quick to begin speaking in secret.

"Who is Siel? You acted like you recognised the name."

"I do. She was a Time Lord."

"You knew her?"

"Knew of her, yes. It's more a name out of a record than anything she did that was noteworthy. Well, except that she disappeared."

Rose frowned as they mounted the lower set of steps. "You have a record of Time Lords that disappear? And you, what, just remember them all?"

"People go missing all the time, of course, but Time Lords? There weren't enough of us to go missing without the rest of us noticing. There was an order of things. Authorities to report to. Someone doesn't report in... Well, I suppose I made that list. Until they found me again."

Rose's jaw dropped, but she kept silent as they approached the two soldiers at the entrance to the fortress. The Doctor stopped, and when one of them nodded, he continued on through with Rose following. She thought this was curious, but when they rounded the corner she instead asked incredulously, "You went missing?"

"Ran off, more like." His lips quirked slightly to one side as he gestured forwards to the TARDIS standing solidly on the far platform in front of the smaller floating structure. "With her."

Something clicked, and then Rose realised she knew. She remembered, as if the memory were her own. "You stole the TARDIS."

The Doctor scratched his neck. "More like 'borrowed.'"

She shook her head as they walked across the bridge, a big smile on her face. "Admit it. You never intended to give it back."

"Anyway, Siel," the Doctor continued on from before. "It's just a name, but when Clio called her 'Lady Siel' and 'Empyrean Lord of Time,' well...what would you think?" The Doctor reached the TARDIS, patted its wooden paneling, then looked over the edge of the platform. "Blimey, that's high." He stared a moment more, then opened the door for Rose. "Perhaps Lady Siel came here."

-^^-W-^^-

"So, that woman said Lady Siel is no longer here, right?" Rose was saying as she walked up the ramp towards the TARDIS console. "So did she leave, or did she pass on, do you think?" She turned to find the Doctor leaning against the inside of the door.

"Dunno, but I'm guessing she's no longer alive either way. How do you feel, Rose?"

Rose raised her eyebrows and poked her lip with her tongue in thought. "Pardon?"

"Since we entered the TARDIS. Do you feel any different than from outside?"

She turned her attention inward for a moment. "No. Should I?"

The Doctor pushed off and came up the ramp, his eyes on the console. He pulled the monitor around, leaning on a hand against the console's edge as he studied it. "The TARDIS dropped shields when she landed. That is _not_ an automatic function." He poked his teeth with his tongue and squinted at Rose. "It's in here, too. That Aether stuff. It's like the TARDIS knew you needed it, or..."

Rose stared back into the Doctor's eyes. "Or...what?"

He stood and came around to her, retrieving his sonic screwdriver from his jacket pocket and hovering its glowing end around her, especially her head. After looking closely at the device for a moment, he sighed in relief and pocketed the device. He raised a hand to cup her face. She searched his expression for a clue as to his thoughts, but all she saw was tenderness. "I'm so glad you're okay," the Doctor whispered as he brought his other hand up and lowered his forehead to hers.

"What was wrong with me, Doctor?"

One hand dropped and encircled her while the other slipped through her hair as the Doctor pulled Rose's head to rest against his chest. "I think I was."

"What? How could you be wrong with me?" Rose tried to pull away to look into his eyes, but he held her fast.

"I should never have asked for your mind as well as your body," the Doctor spoke, his chest tightening against her ear. "It overwhelmed you. I'm afraid...that I've done damage."

The Doctor could no longer hold her as Rose pushed until she could meet his eyes that were now full of remorse.

She let his words sink in until she thought to ask, "What kind of damage?"

"I don't know the full extent, but you felt pain, remember? And then this morning when you awoke, I was trying to fix this blasted cable." He gestured to the cable still hanging down the side of the console. "You told me to just fly up there, like it was obvious."

Rose narrowed her eyes, not quite believing his words. She didn't remember _any_ of that. "I did?"

He nodded and held his hand out towards the door, his voice escalating. "And _then_ the TARDIS picks itself up and lands us here, on a world with people who can do just that. Did you see their wings, Rose?" She nodded. The Doctor's eyes were worried and sorrowful as he looked down at her. "Can you see..." the Doctor's voice broke as his lower lip trembled, and he raised a thumb to brush at her temple affectionately, "...why I'm _so_ scared?"

Rose swallowed heavily under the weight of the Doctor's sorrow. It was difficult for her to be afraid for herself, partly because she felt perfectly fine, but her eyes began to well up with tears for him, that she had caused this in him. She tried to think of something to say to help with his pain. "Could you have even done without, though? Have me in body without touching my mind?"

The Doctor's eyes dropped immediately, and Rose could see he was thinking seriously about this. Finally he shook his head slightly, his eyes only meeting hers for a moment before dropping back down in shame.

Rose pursed her lips and nodded decisively. "Well there we are, then. There was no other choice in the matter. I wouldn't have had it any other way."

He met her eyes now, horrified. "You _can't_ mean that!"

Rose brought her hands up to link behind the Doctor's neck. "I'm fine now, aren't I? That's what they're saying. It's all worked out." He seemed to be considering her words, so she went on, nodding to the console. "The TARDIS took care of me, right? Brought me here. This was how it was supposed to happen."

The Doctor cocked his head. "_Maybe_, but Rose..." He slipped out of her embrace, reaching for a keypad on the console. He punched numbers in and slid the monitor around for her to see. "This is the console room, and _this_ is the unknown signature I found when we arrived. This has got to be this Aether that's everywhere and in everything. Its presence has grown much stronger in here with the shields down. If I were to expel it..." He gestured to the door, then dropped his arm, his eyes pleading with hers to see reason. "Rose, I don't know what would happen to you."

Rose frowned. "But...so...it's not a cure."

"No," the Doctor insisted as he shook his head, as if she were finally getting it. "Clio says it calms you, which I would translate as a calming of the illness. It sounds like maintenance to me. Think about it. If we weren't in this Aether, what would happen the next time I touched your mind so intimately? Would this Aether have changed you in such a way that you would be safely...receptive?"

Rose understood now the Doctor's fears. She chewed on her lip, wanting to show she understood the gravity of what he was saying, but still insistent on fighting his dire perspective. "Yeah, I get it. But I'm safe, as long as I'm here, right?"

The Doctor blinked. "Well, yes. Probably. But Rose, you could never _leave_."

She shrugged, again indicating the world outside as a whole with a gesture towards the door. "It's not so bad out there. We've got some time, yeah? We'll work it out." The Doctor was staring blankly in thought, which was better than arguing with her, so she pressed on, reaching for his hands at his sides and threading her fingers into his. "We always do." Rose ducked her head until she caught his eyes, but he still remained expressionless, so she swung his hands a bit. "Yeah?"

Finally, a little smile quirked his mouth. "Yeah."

Rose rewarded him with her biggest of grins, then leaned into him, seeking his lips. The Doctor obliged, meeting her in a sweet kiss. He sighed against her. Rose was content in this way for half a minute before a thought suddenly occurred to her, and she drew back.

"Hold on...you're making a fuss about Aether being in me. Isn't it in you, too?"

"No." The Doctor paused a moment to clear his throat, and Rose could see he was making an effort to not kiss her long enough to explain. "I felt it as soon as I left the TARDIS, and I assumed since both of us aren't from here that it wouldn't be in you either." He frowned in a little shrug. "I guess I'm just better at not letting it in."

Rose drew her eyebrows. "How do you keep it out?"

The Doctor finally relinquished his eyes from her mouth to meet her gaze. "I'm a Time Lord, or don't you remember?" He bobbed his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes. "Right, cheeky. Should have heard that one coming."

He grinned in response, but then explained, "But no, really, it feels like a...sort of poison, I suppose. My system rejects it."

"Mm, too bad...feels amazing to me."

The Doctor thought a moment, then shifted his attention to the console, tapping in commands and studying the screen. "Well. The people here are indeed human. If it's safe for them, I imagine it's safe for you."

Rose looked at him in concern. "Will you be all right?"

He frowned. "'Course I will. I don't actually know that it's even harmful for me, my body just automatically rejects it. Nothing to worry about."

Rose pondered a few moments more before she was satisfied that he was as safe as he could be, considering their lifestyle. "So, what now, then?"

His eyes still on the monitor, the Doctor pulled in a deep breath through his nose, his words following on the breath out. "We find out more!" He looked to Rose, and she was glad to see his mood was brighter. "Done all I can here. Come on."

-^^-W-^^-

It was only a few minutes later that the Doctor and Rose were approaching Diomedes and the two women. They turned to look, and Diomedes spoke first.

"Arieluma, Doctor, Rose. You're back so soon."

"Full of surprises, that's me," the Doctor boasted, all smiles. "And right now, I'm looking to do a bit of research, thought you folks would be the best ones to ask. Where would you go?"

Diomedes frowned. "To research what, specifically?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Let's say anything and everything. Got a library of sorts?"

"The Library of the Sages in Sanctum, of course," Clio said readily.

"But he's not a Daeva," Diomedes reminded her.

"So we give him paperwork," Clio went on, her voice tinged a bit with annoyance.

Diomedes gestured towards the Doctor. "And how will the teleporter send him? Every human I've ever come across radiates something. He's like a black void. Balaurea's night sky, standing right in front of me."

"Perhaps he should speak with Onesimus and let him decide if it's so impossible," Gaia finally interjected.

Diomedes peered at Gaia a moment, then nodded. "Very well. We'll clear him through Telemachus."

"Telemachus cares of the battle against Lepharists and Krall," Gaia said. "What is this civilian to him?"

"This 'civilian's' Artifact sitting on top of his Fortress, perhaps?" Diomedes lowered his staff a bit too hard against the floor. "Really, Gaia."

Gaia lowered her eyes in thought. "You may be right. We will go through him."

The Doctor listened to their argument. He didn't know what Lepharists and Krall were, but he did know what Generals and Fortresses were for. He wasn't surprised to hear of a battle, but he intended to avoid it just the same. "I'm not interested in fighting."

Clio stepped forward. "And your path leads you to Sanctum, the furthest you could be from it." She began to walk, ushering the Doctor and Rose with her. "Come, I will speak on your behalf. This is a matter between priests and scholars. Telemachus will see this as merely a formality."

They exited the room, and Clio turned to the left, towards the upper landing of the balcony and the towering central archway in the back wall.

"Really, if the...my 'Artifact' is going to be a problem, I can move it."

Clio waved dismissively. "On the contrary. It's better that we keep it safe within Eltnen Fortress. We only need to report it."

The Brigade General's chamber was very similar to Diomedes' but slightly narrower, and a red carpet ran down the center. Functional with little decor, despite the ornate architecture. There were more people in the room, the few in the center appearing to be visitors, who were blocking the Doctor's view of the man in the center. A somber man with a shock of silver hair stood to one side. His attire identified him as a man of the militia, all high boots and fancy pauldrons, his chain tunic fine and intricate. What was most notable about him, however, was the four-legged crimson bird that skulked at his legs.

One of the visitors left while another turned to speak with the silver-haired man, and Clio motioned for the Doctor and Rose to stay as she went to the man in the center.

Telemachus himself was a good deal shorter and he wore the most elegant full set of plate armour the Doctor had ever seen. Judging by the weight of the armor combined with the heavy radius scimitar at his left hip, he had to be much stronger than he looked. Despite the bright white hair, the man appeared strikingly young, but the Doctor could see as Telemachus spoke to Clio that he shared the same familiar ageless wisdom in his eyes that others had seen in the Doctor's.

Their eyes met for a moment, then Telemachus nodded to Clio and turned to the visitor who had remained behind. He was apparently very busy. Talk of war, no doubt, the Doctor mused in distaste.

Clio spoke to a man at the far side, and after a moment, he handed Clio several parchments. She took them to Telemachus, who appeared to read and then sign the documents. Clio took them back, bowed her head, then returned to the Doctor and Rose, a content smile on her face. All three left the room together, and once they were outside, Clio turned to them.

"Telemachus gives his blessing. Here is the paperwork for your teleports. Take it to Onesimus, the teleporter. He's just outside, across the terrace."

"Thank you, Clio. You've been very accommodating," the Doctor assured her graciously.

Clio smiled gratefully. "It's the least I can do. I don't know your purpose here yet, but it's my place to guide you as I can, may Lady Siel be pleased for my efforts."

The Doctor smiled amicably, then asked, "Tell me, General Telemachus. I couldn't help but notice he seems so young."

Clio nodded readily. "Everyone tends to notice, yes. He ascended before he was an adult, but he's actually older than anyone else here. He's seen a lot of war, and a lot of Artifacts, too, which is why he's not concerned about keeping your Artifact here in Eltnen Fortress until you return."

He nodded along, not fitting all the pieces together yet but compiling them for later.

"Doctor. And Rose, yes?"

They turned towards the unfamiliar side of the balcony, and the Doctor recognised Raegis walking up the steps towards them. "Ah, Raegis, hello again. Sorry, we left in a bit of a rush earlier."

The Daeva in leather waved it off easily. "S'okay, happens all the time here, people rushing about. Did you find out anything about your purpose here?"

"Actually, we're on our way to Sanctum to visit the Library of the Sages to do some research."

Raegis grinned, his eyes settling on Rose a moment. "Great, mind if I join you? I need to visit Protector's Hall, but first I need to send a post." He pointed to a small podium topped with an eagle statue standing at the edge of the landing that overlooked the lower level. It even had a little roof. "I'll catch you up?"

The Doctor was watching Rose's face. She was looking Raegis up and down and biting her lip. After a moment's pause, she met the Doctor's eyes, and he realised she was waiting for his answer. He looked up to Raegis.

"Actually, I appreciate the offer, but I think we can manage on our own." The Doctor offered his hand, then added politely, "Another time, perhaps?"

Raegis shook the Doctor's hand, shrugging and glancing to Rose. "Whatever you like. If you're sticking around, I'm sure we'll run into each other. Safe journey." He smiled politely and moved past them.

"Safe journey indeed," Clio added, still standing nearby. The Doctor began to lead Rose down the steps the way they had come, so Clio followed. "My place is here, in the Nobelium," she said, gesturing to the familiar room where Diomedes and Gaia were. "If you need me, this is where you'll find me. We're eager for any news, so that we may guide you further."

"Thanks again. Really appreciate it. Until we return, then." The Doctor and Rose waved to Clio as she went inside, and they continued on towards the stairs to the lower level.

"That was rude," Rose informed the Doctor once they were alone on the steps.

"What?"

"Raegis, he was just being friendly, offering to help. I'm sure we could've used a guide."

"I wasn't rude," the Doctor insisted. "On the contrary, I thought I declined his offer quite graciously. I simply didn't want his company. Prefer yours. Did nothing wrong."

Rose leaned into him as they walked onto the lower level, snaking her arm along his and threading their fingers together. She was biting her lip again, looking up at him. "I liked the leather."

The Doctor's eyebrows rose up, and he look ahead, waiting until they had passed the guards leading outside until he responded. "I know you did."

He felt her other hand as Rose kneaded his arm. "Think I'd like you in it."

Her words and tone did things to him, and the Doctor felt the twinges of jealousy evaporate as a blush spread over his skin. He attempted to wet his suddenly dry mouth as they walked and looked down to Rose at his shoulder, their faces close. As she looked into his eyes, thoughts that distracted him from their goal across the terrace threatened to win out. "Is that so," he murmured, attempting to match her effect.

Their synchronous mental inclination in that moment ignited through their entwined fingers, causing the Doctor to stop in his tracks and catch his breath. The promise of what they could share by simply walking towards the TARDIS across the bridge to the right was suddenly very appealing, and he found himself hanging on Rose's every move.

Rose grinned in secret delight and looked ahead, but he just watched her. She then looked back up at him, her expression a bit more sober. "There's the teleporter, yeah?"

Despite his reluctance to look away, the Doctor looked up ahead of them. The twin winged statues about three times his height faced each other, framing the small platform off the terrace. Two men in elaborate robes stood waiting.

Oh, how easily Rose could seduce him! He let go of her hand, clearing his throat and willing the blood to cool. If she had suggested they detour to the TARDIS, he didn't think he would be able to resist. After a few cleansing breaths, the Doctor approached the man nearest them.

"Onesimus?"

He turned to the Doctor with a brief smile. "That's me. Where do you wish to travel?"

The Doctor smirked to himself, finding it odd being the one asked that question for once. He held out his paperwork. "Sanctum, please, the pair of us." He gestured to Rose as she came up beside him.

"Right," Onesimus nodded, returning the Doctor his paperwork and looking them over. "You both appear fit enough. It also seems the Nobelium is picking up the fee, which doesn't happen often. Ready?"

The Doctor nodded and stepped forward, his hearts pounding in anticipation, really having no idea what to expect. Onesimus wasted no time, raising his hands to meet before him, then dropping them outwards to each side with practiced ease. A circle of glowing script materialised in the air, upright in front of the Doctor, then disappeared.

Onesimus frowned in confusion. "That's strange. Picking up the fee rarely happens, but this _never_ happens. I'm not sure what's going wrong. Do you feel a pulling sensation at all?"

The Doctor was thinking quickly and listening at once. "No."

"It's like it's not sensing the Aether in you." Onesimus squinted at the Doctor. "Then again, your aura's awfully hard to see..."

"Is there any other way to get to Sanctum?" the Doctor diverted.

"Not a chance," he replied, laughing. "Not since the Seraphim Lords raised it into the sky."

"Heiron, please," came a female voice from behind the Doctor, causing him to turn and look. A girl with blue pigtails and a tiny leather skirt glanced momentarily at him before returning her attention to Onesimus, seeming to be in a hurry as she dropped a few coins into his hand.

The Doctor stepped back, waving her forward. "Please, go ahead." He couldn't help but be momentarily distracted by her clothing, finding his thoughts settling on what they would look like on Rose. Power of suggestion, he mused. He had to remind himself that the girl was probably older than she looked.

The same circle of light appeared before the girl, and she immediately leapt into it. Both the light and the girl vanished completely from sight.

Two other people approached Onesimus, and the Doctor stepped further away. He knew what he had to do. The question was, did he delay, seek the privacy and security of the TARDIS and risk people talking about his strange nature? They could decide not to help him because he wasn't one of them, even decide he was a threat, and possibly miss his opportunity to travel.

Rose's hand slipped around his arm, and he lowered his head so she could speak quietly in his ear. "It won't work for you, will it? What are we gonna do?"

The Doctor never preferred to delay, to plan things out and take it slow. The answers he sought about Rose could very well be in that library. He preferred to think on the go, so that's what he did.

"Give me a moment."

He focused on the radiation around him, the stuff they called Aether, and the tension he naturally felt against it. Breathing in slowly through his nose, the Doctor eased his barriers down. Heat penetrated his skin, and a warmth blossomed in his lungs as he breathed steadily and purposefully. It wasn't unpleasant as he was half expecting. Rather, it felt quite...invigorating.

Onesimus finished his business with the other people, his attention returning to the Doctor and his expression once again puzzled.

The Doctor strode up to him. "Try again? It's my first time, wasn't sure what to expect. Probably just a fluke." He grinned winningly.

The teleporter raised an eyebrow. "That shouldn't matter...you shouldn't have to do anything. Still..."

The Doctor offered his paperwork again, smiling encouragingly.

"All right, we'll give it a go."

Onesimus drew the upper half of the circle in the air, and the ring of light appeared again. The Doctor had only a moment of surprise to feel a pulling sensation, and he found himself leaping towards it. Another moment passed, and all was lost in a bright flash of light.


	4. Sanctum

There was a sensation of resistance as if passing through two layers in quick succession, and the Doctor found himself surrounded by an unfamiliar environment. The yellow brown tones of Eltnen rock were replaced with blue gray wall that matched those of the inside of Eltnen Fortress.

The Doctor was overwhelmed and suddenly remembered he had just teleported a moment ago, the shock of the experience causing him to momentarily forget. A flash of light made him look to his side, and Rose was there, looking bewildered. He reached out a hand to steady her.

"We've been teleported," she stated after a moment.

He grinned. "Yes, we have. A bit different than a transmat, but not by much." The Doctor noted Rose's expression of wonder as she looked on, and he turned to take in the sights with her.

They were on a broad sort of circular landing area. More people began to flash into existence, so the Doctor and Rose quickly stepped up onto the broad balustraded walk connecting the terrace to the city. Each baluster of the walk was trimmed with gold capitals and bases, and a decoration rimmed with the same gold colour flowed from the capital of one baluster to the next, forming a series of waves riding the top of both ten-foot walls. They led to Sanctum's tall outer wall, perhaps eighty feet high, which came in from both sides ahead of them, the opening between the walls ending in two towering columns. Another gold-trimmed decoration sprouted upwards from the base of each column and flowed upwards as if licked by wind, almost forming an archway that framed the entrance.

Looking behind them, a great stone statue with wings stood over a shimmering portal, probably having to do with how they arrived. Beyond the terrace there was nothing but sky on the horizon. They wouldn't be able to look down due to the wall, but if what Onesimus said was true, the city was floating.

"You all right, Doctor?"

The Doctor looked to Rose. "Yes, why?"

"You weren't able to teleport, but then you were. What happened?"

He licked his lips, his eyes darting to the splendour of architecture around them. "I absorbed it."

"You...what?"

"Let it in. Didn't keep it out anymore." The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets. "Only did good for you, couldn't be so bad for me, could it? Well, it's not aspirin."

"Right," Rose replied automatically, still appearing confused. "So...it's still in you now, right?"

"Yes."

Rose gazed back into his eyes as they stayed locked with hers. "And you'll be all right?"

"I feel fine," he insisted with raised eyebrows. "More than fine, really. I get what you're feeling, now. Everyone here probably takes the feeling for granted. It's all they've ever known. But for us, the raw power that gives life to this world..." The Doctor curled his fingers as he grasped the intangible in front of him and looked around at the people. "We feel it."

A man nearby, his robe matching that of Eltnen's teleporter, appeared to be teleporting people from this side. Someone being teleported vanished within a column of blue vertical shafts of light that shifted as if refracting through some unseen source. Ripples like the surface of water flowed upwards followed by a shimmer of heat. The Doctor marveled at how the teleporters could do such a thing without any apparent signs of technology, thinking it must have something to do with Aether. He dare not ask just yet, however, as his lack of knowledge tended to make the people suspicious of him.

"Excuse me," the Doctor asked after the man was finished with a client. When he turned, the Doctor smiled. "Hello. I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose. We're guests here. Could you direct us to the Library of the Sages?"

The man smiled politely. "Welcome to Sanctum. I'm Polyidus. If you ever have need of travel, come to me." He spread his hand towards the city. "This is Sanctum Gate, and just beyond is the Exalted Path. Before you hit the square, go right, unless you want to take the ferry across. If you're in a hurry, there's a teleportation statue right in front of the Hall of Prosperity that will take you directly to the Library's entrance. Since it's your first time here, if you'd like to take in the sights, take the main path across the Sky Canal. The Library of the Sages is in the center of the Divine Road, at the very back of the city."

"Right, cheers," the Doctor offered and moved off.

"You get all that?" Rose asked.

"Of course," he replied.

The Doctor and Rose crossed the walk, passing guardsmen at their posts to either side. Their full ornate plate armour complete with helmets shone like bright steel, and they held enormous triangular tower shields, the top two corners formed by the likeness of spread wings. The people here appeared to put as much beauty and splendour into the appearance of their armour as they did their city.

A low waterfall and its pool supported the centerpiece of the Exalted Path, set between two broad stairways just beyond Sanctum's outer wall that led up to the landing upon which the inner wall stood. Atop the waterfall, a towering stone winged woman stood facing the sky. Above her outstretched hands floated a glowing sphere.

The Doctor led them to the right stairway, and as they climbed the steps, he pointed up at the globe. "See that? I recognise it from the TARDIS' scans. It's a representation of the planet we're on, although I don't know that you could actually call it a planet since it's completely hollow. See the upper and lower crusts, how they're separated? You can see through to the inside, all the green and growing land on the inner surface. A spire stretched from the northern and southern poles and used to connect the two halves at what should be the core, but it appears to have broken. Scans showed an immense power source in its place. It has to be responsible for holding the entire world together, otherwise it would no doubt fly apart." The Doctor craned his neck, squinting against a bright spot in the sky. "We landed inside, on the lower half." The Doctor frowned. "Not sure where we are now, but that there looks like a sun."

Rose looked from the sphere to the sky. "I'd ask how any of this is even possible, but I know better by now."

"Oh, I intend to find out, if this library is all I'm hoping."

The inner wall far surpassed the outer wall in height, its entrance an archway about half the width of the outer wall's entrance. Thin vertical red banners hung high here and there. An enormous column to each side was set into the wall, both topped high above with prongs that held an impossibly large blue crystal in each, as if a jewelry setting. Another column top with prongs held an even more massive crystal on top of the wall, in the center above the archway. The Doctor had no way of knowing if the crystals were real or only decorative.

The Doctor and Rose approached the archway to the inner wall, passing under the dappled shadows cast by the many green trees growing atop and beyond the walls to one side. People of all shapes and sizes with assorted colours and types of armour rushed in and out of the archway, hurrying on their way to and from the city. From what the Doctor had gathered so far about Sanctum, these people were probably all Daevas.

The awe of Sanctum's entrance thus far paled in comparison to the magnificent splendor and beauty of what opened up before them as they passed into the inner courtyard. An enormous white central tower in the distance crowned with outstretched wings curved gracefully up into the sky, overlooking the rest of the city. Two thin spires rose up to either side. A skywalk jutted outwards and speared the spherical rooms at the tops of both spires. A field of mostly transparent energy, perhaps some sort of shielding, could barely be perceived flowing up and around the tower and spires. Below, arches supported the tower and spires, and smaller spires rose up from domed ceilings of smaller structures. Two uncut and roughly diamond-shaped green rocks floated over their own columns in front of the base, and the Doctor briefly pondered what technologies he personally knew of that would be required to keep such weighty chunks of earth suspended in such a way.

The tower disappeared behind a much closer domed structure, its diagonally-curved walls sweeping lower and outwards before being lost from sight behind the great blue and pink trees resembling cherry blossoms. The trees rose up from a sprawling square in the immediate foreground that was accessible from grand stairways both from the domed building and the level the Doctor and Rose were at. All the ledges and stairways were edged with a railing supported by a gold ivy design.

"This is amazing," Rose said in awe.

"Indeed," the Doctor agreed.

"It...reminds me of somewhere familiar." Rose frowned in thought as the Doctor watched her. She then looked at him. "A city on Gallifrey. How do I know that?"

The Doctor gazed at her a moment, swallowing heavily. "You saw it in my head." He turned to look at the sight again. "I suppose it is reminiscent, if a different colour."

He paused to listen as shouts from people sitting on stools ahead of them drew their attention. They waved encouragingly as others passed by, hawking their wares. Finding themselves just inside the entrance, the Doctor saw they could go either left or right along the walk that rimmed the city or straight down the stairs into the square. He remembered the teleporter saying to go right at this point, so he steered them that way along the street through the merchants. The vendors didn't have stands, their positions seeming to be temporary as they carried very little inventory. Perhaps later the Doctor and Rose would amuse themselves and see what local curios could be found.

"Can you imagine living here?" Rose asked. "It's so clean. Like, a futuristic city, but no cars or anything. People just walk everywhere. In armour," Rose observed as a big man in full plate passed going the other way.

"Always battle ready, even in a place that seems to be at such peace," the Doctor replied. "A blend of archaic and advanced fighting styles, architecture, and transportation. Truly a unique place."

They came to a sign labeling the great hall on their right as the "Hall of Prosperity." A statue holding a staff stood outside the doorway. A man with a broadsword on his back approached the statue and dropped a few coins into a slot. The statue moved, striking the base of its staff down on the ground, and a teleportation ring appeared. The man leapt through and disappeared. The Doctor and Rose looked at each other.

"Think your psychic paper would work on that?"

He shook his head. "Don't think so. Seems that under normal circumstances, we'll need money."

"The bloke we met at the entrance said we could walk there, didn't he?" Rose gazed around with wide eyes. "Don't think I'd mind the scenic route in the least."

The Doctor grinned at her. "Quite right. Certainly a lot to look at. Shall we?" He gestured ahead.

The path curved around, and they were soon walking towards the right of the tower ahead of them. There was a gap in a high wall between them and the square to the left, and they could see a merchant tent backed up to the other side of the wall facing an area of short-cropped grass as vibrantly green as summer.

Stairs ahead led downward, and off the path to the right ahead of them was a large green tree, colorful potted plants, and a circular platform, somewhat like the teleportation pad they had arrived on except this one was raised. No one was around. From this higher angle, they should have been able to at least see the horizon beyond, but there was nothing but empty sky. Higher in the distance, a network of spindly bridges branched out and connected floating hubs with windows. Residences, perhaps?

They descended another flight of steps to another circular platform, this one as large as the square above and behind them. The lower part of the tower could now be seen ahead, its high windows and balconies giving it the look of a palace. It appeared to be situated on a cliff top, and as they reached the platform and looked to the left at the center of the city, they could see a bridge spanning the chasm between the base of the palace and the top of the domed building. Beyond it, two ends of a bridge on the far side could be seen, and platform floated from their side up towards the end of the bridge at the palace side.

"That must be the ferry Polyidus mentioned," the Doctor said, pointing.

"Look like a floating gazebo. How does it move? Never mind that, how do these bridges stay up?"

"Oh I think it's much more than the bridges. Come on."

Unlike the far end and its ferry, this side had two bridges that connected to the other side. The one directly ahead was a straight incline towards the palace, but the one to the right arched gracefully up towards the right of the palace. It was higher, and would afford a better view. The Doctor mounted the steps to the right that led up towards a great fountain at the edge of the city. A woman in a scholarly robe sat on one of the many benches in a patch of grass. An archway to the left led to the base of the bridge.

"My God, that's a climb," Rose said, staring up the bridge as its far end disappeared behind its own curve.

"Oh, but _so_ worth it," the Doctor replied enthusiastically. We'll take it slow, if you like."

They began the long climb up the bridge. It was so wide, they couldn't really see downward from the middle of it. When they had almost reached the top, Rose grabbed the Doctor's arm. He looked at her, and she shook her head, panting. While the Doctor was winded, too, he didn't need to stop so much as slow down, and he thought this the perfect opportunity. He grinned at Rose, taking a moment to exchange an excited expression before turning from her. The Doctor bent his knees and caught her around the thighs, bouncing upwards until Rose straddled him piggyback. She squealed happily, and the Doctor did little to suppress his grin as he walked them to the gold railing at the edge of the bridge overlooking the city.

Rose gasped audibly near his ear as they took in the breathtaking sight. The city was indeed floating. The straight bridge was below, and the central bridge stretched across ahead and above. A sort of airship sailed towards a dock below, appearing to have passed between the separated ends of the far bridge. In the far distance beyond the city, a floating disc supported a smaller tower, spires, and its connecting bridges. The top of the tower held another of those great big blue crystals.

Other than these structures, there was nothing but open sky, and the world far, far below.

Rose clung tightly to the Doctor. "It's...incredible," she whispered, so close.

"Absolutely stunning," the Doctor whispered just as softly. The wind whipped at the Doctor's hair, and Rose's golden strands teased at his face as she gazed over his shoulder. Far below, the Doctor could see a river. "Look there," he nodded downward, unable to point as he held Rose's legs. "That waterway down there. Onesimus said something about Sanctum being raised into the sky. I wonder if this very bridge once crossed that river?"

They drank in the sight for several more minutes when the Doctor finally set Rose on her feet. They continued on along the edge, and near the top, they stopped to watch what could only be described as a school of ghostly fish streaming through the sky and passing under the bridge, as if the whole place were simply underwater.

Two sentries stood guard to either side at the top of the bridge, paying them no attention. Just beyond and to the left, two more sentries framed an entrance the size of the city's gate that led into a great hall underneath the tower. The Doctor approached one of the men, and a plated helmet fixed on him.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for the Library of the Sages?" The guardsman looked to the left and gestured with his shield, and the Doctor nodded. "Thanks." They continued on past the hall, and the street continued to the left, behind the tower.

A great bellow from above caused both the Doctor and Rose to start in surprise, and they looked up to the right at the top of the outer wall. In front of the tree foliage, a huge, ponderous creature in green and gray stood upright, its long neck stretched up to the sky. After a moment, it dropped forward onto its front feet and looked down at them. It had no visible teeth, and its head extended backwards in a broad crest.

The Doctor and Rose stood still, and the Doctor wondered if it was going to jump down at them. It only stared at them, working its mouth as if it were chewing cud. After a few moments, it stood upright again, bellowing to the sky.

"Doesn't appear hostile," he observed.

"It's...a dinosaur," Rose deadpanned.

"Sort of...iguanodon. Yeah."

"'Cause, you know, this place needed additional weirdness factor."

The Doctor laughed, taking Rose by the hand. "Come on."

He could see the far side of the road, where it curved back around the tower's hall and probably out towards the ferry bridge. The city wasn't very wide. This had to be the back. As they strolled along, they peered into the shoppes lining the outer wall to the right. A set of training dummies stood along the wall to the left. Near the center, they came across another great entrance to the hall. They passed benches backed against a long planter with yellow and white flowers. An important looking shoppe at the very back center of the city had a statue just outside to the left, one that looked just like the statue that had teleported someone in front of the Hall of Prosperity.

"Well, that would have been a much faster trip," the Doctor pointed.

"No kidding," Rose agreed. "I'm exhausted."

-^^-W-^^-

"I see books!" the Doctor exclaimed as the interior came into view. "Almost there, Rose!"

"Thank God," Rose said. "We crossed an entire city to get to it."

"A small city, you've got to admit. Still, a magnificent small city." The Doctor chattered as they entered the building and began to descend the long hallway of steps. Sconces high on either side of the stone walls lit their way. "Not a magnificently small city, but small, and magnificent. Words are funny things, aren't they? Funny words, and that's all that books are made of!" He stretched his arms in presentation towards the cylindrical tower of books, sixteen rows high, ahead of them in the center of what little they could see of the expansive room. "Simple little words, strung together to mean so much."

The corridor ended, and the room opened up before them. The shelves of books in the central column were one story high, but its column continued upwards a second story, then widened as it continued higher to the top of the dome ceiling. It reminded the Doctor of the console room of the TARDIS, except this room was much, much larger. It was octagonal, its far face devoid of books. The adjacent faces held story-high bookcases, and these framed a tall archway in both corners that led into stacked rows of bookcases. The side faces both held large closed doors. The next faces held giant open-faced books with magnifiers positioned over them, and long tables and benches were positioned across the floor in front of them. To either side of the room's entrance, staircases curved up the perimeter of the Library to a guarded door on both side walls on the second story. The far walls of the second story held bookcases just like the first story, but they were set further back to allow for the balcony. The table stands on the floor and the railings of the stairways and balcony were the same gold ivy design they had found throughout Sanctum.

"Now that's a library," the Doctor announced. "Not the TARDIS library, mind you, but certainly a sight for sore eyes."

A purple carpet stretched from the entrance to the central dais. A woman stood facing away from them at the top of the steps, peering into an enormous book on a stone stand in front of the book column and its surrounding countertop. A couple of chairs sat at the counter atop the violet carpet of the dais, and stacks of books were piled high among the strewn white candles. Lanterns held out on hooked hangers shone from a story up the column, lighting the whole area in an amber warmth.

"Excuse me, Miss?" the Doctor inquired as they approached the woman, and she turned to face them. Her long dress was white with purple trim. Her hair ended just past her shoulders in spiral curls and was dark, gleaming purple in the light.

"It's Fuchsia. If you're looking for the one called the 'Walking Encyclopedia', that's me. It's not really true, though. I don't know everything." She smiled softly.

"Ah, a woman after my own heart. No reason to go on if you know everything, is there?" The Doctor grinned winningly.

Fuchsia giggled. "Something like that."

"I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose," he introduced, giving Rose a fond look. "May we use the Library?"

"Yes, of course. Is there anything specific you're looking for?"

"I'm not sure yet, but for now, is there a general history?"

"Of what, Atreia?"

The Doctor paused, the word familiar. Yes, it had been used as a regional term. "I'll start with that, if you've got one."

"Oh, there have been many written by different people," Fuchsia said, smiling and moving towards one of the walls of books. "Several are here...yes, here they are." She pulled a hefty book out and handed it to the Doctor, then pointed to the books next to the empty spot. "These here as well. Of course, if you want to know anything that's in these books, you only have to ask."

The Doctor grinned, happy to be getting somewhere. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. You've been very helpful."

"At your service." Fuchsia bowed her head to the Doctor, then acknowledged Rose politely before returning to her book on the stand on the dais.

"She's nice," Rose commented.

"Yes, this is brilliant." He peered at the titles on the shelf Fuchsia had indicated, separated the books six across, then quickly passed Rose the first book before hauling the others from the shelf. "This should give us a much better understanding of what we're dealing with."

"Should we ask if there are books on Lady Siel as well?" Rose asked helpfully.

"Oh, yes," he agreed, grinning approvingly at Rose. "That's what I love about you, Rose, always thinking."

Her eyes glinted as she turned to walk with the Doctor. "That's not _all _you love about me."

She managed to hide her smile, so the Doctor hid his in return, instead cocking his jaw and making a point to let his eyes trail down her form. "Not even the half of it. But yes, we'll start with these, then move on to, as the lady says, 'specifics'."

They set their books on the counter, on the opposite side of the column of books from Fuchsia for more privacy. The Doctor immediately went for another chair a few paces away, pulling it up to the one already there, then sat down in it. He reached for the book Fuchsia had singled out and spread it open on the countertop. Even though it was noted to be several copies newer than the original, it was absolutely ancient, so the Doctor took care with it.

Reaching into his inside jacket pocket, the Doctor habitually retrieved his black, thick-rimmed glasses and settled them into place on the bridge of his nose. Rose settled down on her own chair, leaning back with a weary sigh. She was still for a minute as the Doctor began reading before she reached for the book on the top of the stack and flipped it open.


	5. Gods and Devils

I hope everyone with a Valentine enjoyed their company yesterday! Included is a PG moment between our favorite couple to extend the holiday a bit, with a significant scene to come in the following chapter.

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They both read quietly for a while, side by side, when the Doctor pointed at a place on the page. "It says here 'Atreia' is the name of the planet, created by Aion, who supported all life from the Tower of Eternity." He gestured to Rose. "That's in place of the core, like I showed you on the model." The Doctor peered back down at his book. "The world used to be whole, not two separate hemi-shells, until the Tower was broken in the Millennium War. Instead of being supported by the Tower of Eternity as it once was, a nearby star now shines on the lower half, which is called Elysea. The upper half receives little light, and is called Asmodae."

Rose frowned as she absorbed this information, trying to apply what he had read to the place they were now. "So...you said we landed in the southern half. We teleported, but we must still be nearby. There's a lot of light here. And we saw the sun."

"Makes sense. Very good." The Doctor's lips were quirked upwards as he peered again at his book, and Rose glowed at the compliment. Even though it seemed simple enough to work out and she hardly felt like she deserved praise for it, the fact that it had come from him never ceased to encourage her. She wondered if she would ever tire of it.

Rose looked down at her own book, and after a few moments of basking in the compliment faded, words caught her eye, and she turned her attention to them. Sure enough, it went into more detail on the subject, and she was now eager to contribute. "This here talks about the Millennium War. Says it started when the Drakan, Aion's draconic children put in charge of leading and protecting the lesser races, turned against their maker as they sought more power. Some of them ascended and became immortal, naming themselves the Balaur. Aion retaliated by creating the twelve Empyrean Lords, humans of immense power, to fight against them."

The Doctor frowned. "Well if Aion created the Empyrean Lords, and Lady Siel is one of them, I'm not sure how she could have been a Time Lord." He scooted forward on his chair to peer over Rose's shoulder at her book. "Then again, history does have a tendency to become distorted."

Rose pointed to the spot in the book. "Says they were demi-gods, 'angelic in appearance', well there you go." She couldn't keep the grin out of her voice. "That definitely fits the bill of the only Time Lord I know." Rose attempted to keep her eyes on the page, but she subconsciously curled her tongue over her top lip, and she could feel his eyes on her. She looked up to find the Doctor's expression a mix of surprise, amusement, and something deeper behind his thick-rimmed glasses.

"Really?" he asked quietly.

Rose had meant to tease the Doctor with her comment and had expected him to tease her back, but he had taken it much more seriously than she had anticipated. "Definitely," she replied with certainty, holding his gaze.

The Doctor's face radiated love as he reached to draw a lock of her escaped hair back up to its place. He struggled to swallow and his eyes had darkened, but he then suddenly darted a look across the Library and took a deep breath, the expression gone as he looked back down at Rose's book. She watched him for a few moments until he spoke, drawing her attention back to the text.

"The Empyrean Lords defended the Tower of Eternity from the Balaur for centuries with the help of humans that could harness Aether and ascend into Daevas. When over half the Lords finally called for a truce to discuss peace, the Balaur betrayed the truce and attacked the Tower, shattering what anchored the world together." The Doctor lowered his eyes closer to the book and spoke more clearly. "Israphel and Siel, the two Tower Guardians, gave their lives to keep Atreia from being completely uninhabitable."

"So...Lady Siel was one of two Empyrean Lords that guarded the Tower of Eternity from the...um," Rose consulted the book, "Balaur. Somehow, she stopped the Tower's destruction from killing everyone on the planet."

"Doesn't say how, exactly. I'll keep looking, though."

Rose read on. "The Empyrean Lords banished the Balaur to the Abyss, the space between the two halves of what was left of the world. The humans were now divided, those who were for the peace treaty and those that had been against it. Both sides blamed the other, and the five remaining Empyrean Lords that had wanted peace, now the Seraphim Lords, led their army of Daevas to the light half of Elysea."

The Doctor was nodding. "So the Millennium War was between humans and another species called the Balaur, who attacked their god and broke Atreia apart. The humans separated into two factions."

Rose stared off across the Library as the Doctor peered at the book in her lap. He went on about how the humans in Elysea became known as the Elyos, and how those that followed the other five Empyrean Lords went to the dark, northern half they called Asmodae, becoming the Asmodians. Rose was thinking about something else, and when he stopped talking she asked, "This is all legend, though, right? I mean, how could anyone actually 'attack' their god?"

The Doctor shrugged. "History's full of instances saying such things, all across the Universe. You yourself should be familiar with those on Earth. Well, at least what was popular in England."

Rose regarded the Doctor skeptically. "Still not seeing it. People can't exactly 'attack' God."

"Not as such, no. Not an actual physical blow, like as described here against the Tower of Eternity. An attack can come in many forms. It could be as simple as a single serpent tempting someone to make the wrong choice, affecting an entire world and cheating it of paradise."

Rose stared at the Doctor, attempting to put together his implications. "So you're saying the Balaur are basically demons."

He shrugged again. "What are 'demons' but super powerful beings that rebel against their creator?"

Rose saw him swallow thickly again before he returned his attention to his book, but her mind was remembering back to before Bosthinatia and Chosthu, before the Doctor had confessed his love for her. They had encountered a being that had claimed to be Satan himself. Not only that, but Rose had personally jettisoned Toby, who was possessed by him, into a black hole. If she were honest with herself, Rose did wonder if she had in fact actually destroyed him, a being that had existed since before Time itself...

"You never answered me properly, Doctor."

"Hm?" the Doctor sounded gently as he quickly flipped pages of his book.

"Whether Satan was real. What you thought that creature was."

The Doctor met her eyes then, holding her gaze for several moments before looking away briefly to remove his glasses and fold them into his hand. He closed his book. "He was real enough to us."

He rose to his feet and walked towards the back corner of the Library. Rose was about to accuse him of evading the question yet again. It was clear to her that the Doctor wasn't sure himself, his set beliefs conflicting with what he had seen, and Rose didn't even know what he had seen down in the Pit. He was a being of science, used to being able to explain sights and wonders most could only marvel at, and yet he had one of the most open minds of anyone she had ever met. He had to, and even though having seen so much gave him an explanation for most everything, he knew that just about anything was possible.

It shouldn't really be that hard to grasp, really. Rose had seen many things that people she had grown up around had firmly insisted were legend: time travel, parallel worlds, and even werewolves to name a few. The greatest of them all was the existence of aliens in general, and Rose at times still couldn't quite come to terms with the fact that she had not only fallen in love with one, but was loved fiercely by him in return.

And now, she was sitting on an alien planet who knew where, reading about its rich history and attempting to help the Doctor solve the mystery of how they had got here and for what reason. That didn't do much to distract Rose at that moment from the fact that her stomach was rumbling, however.

Rose stood and walked around the central column of books, finding Fuchsia right where they had left her. She approached the woman, who didn't look up from her massive book on the podium until Rose cleared her throat to get her attention.

"Yeah, sorry, quick question. Where could I find something to eat?"

Fuchsia smiled. "Artisan's Hall is right across the way from the Library. I'm sure you could find something there to your liking."

"Great, thanks," Rose replied automatically. She frowned a little. "Although...money's sort of a problem."

Fuchsia thought a moment. "Find Hestia in the kitchen, just inside to the right. Tell her Fuchsia sent you. I'm sure you could work something out."

"Right, thanks very much for your help, Fuchsia," Rose said, attempting to remember the woman's name. She stepped off the dais and made her way back to the Doctor, hoping this didn't turn out to be another "dinner lady" situation.

The Doctor had disappeared into the room of bookcases in the corner. Rose approached, looking about from the archway but not seeing him or anyone else. She walked down a narrow aisle, the closely-set bookcases giving the area a much more intimate feel than the large expanse of the main hall, and she finally spotted him as she made a turn. He had put his glasses back on and was leaning back against a bookcase, peering down intently at a new open book in his hand.

"As keen as you are on unraveling the mysteries of Atreia, I'm determined not to expire before we do so." She pointed behind her shoulder with a thumb. "Fuchsia said I might find dinner across the way in Artisan's Hall."

He lowered his book, frowning in hesitancy. "I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with you wandering off..."

"I'll just be across the way," Rose repeated in a laugh. She quieted a moment while the Doctor thought. "If you'd rather come along..."

The Doctor shook his head decidedly. "No, you're right. You know where I am. I know where you'll be. Besides," he went on, smirking, "if I can't find you, I'll just ask where the pretty blonde went."

Rose grinned at his flirting. "Even I'll admit there's lots of pretty blondes around here."

"Well, then I'll ask for the prettiest."

She bit her lip, delighted by his words despite her being sure they couldn't be true. Moving slowly toward him until he had to move the book aside, Rose invaded his personal space, smoothing her hands up his chest. She could tell she had his full attention as she gazed up into his deep brown eyes. The black rectangular frames of his glasses somehow only made him sexier, and the only reason Rose could identify as to why was because she could then play a part in taking them off of him.

Rose tugged at his lapels until she met his soft lips, which received hers eagerly. She ran her fingertips up the back of his head, into his thick hair while simultaneously attempting to snog him senseless in a way that insisted he forget her not. A hand pressed her to him from between her shoulder blades, and she could feel the book resting against her hip. Rose freed one hand to gently pull at a corner of his glasses, sweeping them up and away from his face.

The Doctor hummed, and Rose could hear the book snap shut, the hand holding the book replacing the one at her back. He then moved his free hand up to her jaw and grasped firmly so he could deepen the kiss. Rose sighed happily, breathing in the scent of Doctor and musty, ancient books.

A sound from without the Library was just enough to bring Rose to the present, and she gently drew back. The Doctor was slow to open his eyes, and Rose was quite pleased with his flushed and ruffled state. His gaze was dark and magnetic, and it probably would have succeeded in drawing her back in if not for the continuous complaining of her stomach.

"You know where to find me," Rose murmured.

"You want the psychic paper?" the Doctor asked, already moving a hand towards his pocket to retrieve it.

Rose frowned. "No, I don't think so. I'd hate for it to not work and be stuck here for a while. Doesn't really leave a good first impression."

"All right, then."

Rose lifted his glasses, gently placing them back over his ears and settling them on his nose. The Doctor stood very still while she did this, so she made the extra effort to brush her fingertips against his temples. His jaw slackened as his breathing picked up, and his eyelids fluttered slightly. Rose smiled at him, feeling his presence at the edge of her mind. He was then fully alert as he jerked forward slightly, having apparently almost lost the book in his hand. Rose giggled.

"I'll be listening for you," he assured her softly.

"And I you." Rose drew out of his arms, the Doctor's hand trailing her arm until she had moved out of his reach. He watched her until she disappeared behind the bookcase.

Rose thought fondly of the Doctor as she crossed the Library, but as she mounted the upward staircase that led outside, her thoughts transitioned to expectation as to what would lie ahead for her.

-^^-W-^^-

From the entrance to the Library of the Sages, Rose could see directly across the street the tall archway of what she had heard named both Protector's Hall and Artisan's Hall. At the top of the archway, Rose could see light streaming down in a column from the center of the hall. As she approached, she could see a platform descend from the ceiling within the column of light and seat itself neatly within a central dais. Before long, it rose back up through the shaft of light and disappeared into a round hole in the ceiling. Rose entered the hall, wandering across the red carpet that led to the dais and looked around.

Remembering what Fuchsia said, Rose peered directly to her right and saw a series of looms with people working at them, and a counter with what appeared to be a merchant. Just to her left in the corner that mirrored it was what looked like workbenches and their accompanying counter.

Across the hall to the right, Rose noticed another merchant counter, and along the wall were counters piled with food.

As Rose got closer, she could see racks of bottles, bowls full of fresh vegetables, jars, and assorted utensils. A couple of people were working at two of the three tables. Someone in a white dress and chef's hat stood prominently in the open space between the tables and counter.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Hestia?" Rose inquired.

The woman turned, her white hair almost completely hidden under her puffy hat. She was probably the oldest-looking woman Rose had seen yet, and she held an air of experience. "That's me. Have you come to learn to cook?"

"Well, actually..." The words, "I've come for a meal" didn't sound right, and Rose suddenly felt uncomfortable. It was silly, really, as she rarely brought money to the planets they visited. Occasionally, the Doctor would sonic a credit machine, but more often than not, they would end up saving the day and eat what was offered to them in return. Despite her reluctance to hire herself out with any sort of commitment, Rose found herself offering as she really saw no other way. "I've come to help out, in exchange for supper for two."

Hestia's eyebrows disappeared under her hat. She studied Rose up and down. "How did a human find her way into Sanctum with no kinah?" She extended a hand towards the tables. "Daevas hone their skills here, and I oversee the meals of the Governor and his Holy Templars, the Preceptors, and all other officials of Protector's Hall. This isn't a soup kitchen."

Rose squirmed just a little, but then she reminded herself that this woman wouldn't sound nearly so pompous if she knew half the deeds Rose had done and the prestige she had earned on multiple planets. Hestia couldn't know about all of that, however. Instead, she had to use her wits and confidence she had earned in such adventures. A little name-dropping was in order.

"Fuchsia sent me, said we could work something out." Rose thought a little further. "The Doctor and I have been dispatched to conduct important research at the Library of the Sages by Clio of Eltnen Fortress." What were the other two again? "Diomedes and Gaia, too," she added.

Another woman in a robe approached Hestia, holding out a piece of paper for her. Hestia was momentarily distracted, but glanced again to Rose before taking the paper from the woman and signing it quickly, her demeanor having softened somewhat. "Just being modest then, aren't you?"

The scroll reminded Rose that the Doctor had paperwork that got them into Sanctum. She knew it didn't say anything about receiving meals, but she attempted a bit of bravado anyway. "The Doctor has the paperwork in the Library, if you need to see it. Do I need to go get it?"

Hestia handed the paper back to the woman, who immediately left, and Hestia waved off Rose's proposal. "Not necessary. I have multiple work orders that need filling. Can you cook?"

"I..." Rose looked to the tables, having no idea what tasted like what. "I'm unfamiliar with your...recipes, but I learn quickly."

Hestia sighed, but pointed good-naturedly, clearly accustomed to teaching. "Well, start with chopping those dados, and watch some of the Daevas. When you think you're ready, fry up some raw cypri in kukuru powder and let me take a look. It's unlikely you can muck that up."

Rose's attention caught on all the unfamiliar words, attempting to remember them all, but nodded readily and moved towards where Hestia had been pointing. A man in a robe stood at the table, stirring a pot of soup. Rose smiled at him.

"Hello," Rose said to him. "Which ones are dados?"

The man raised a quizzical eyebrow and pointed at the bowl of vegetables. Rose picked up what looked like a potato, and he nodded. Finding a clean knife, she started chopping the alien potato. She had no idea what it tasted like, but her mouth was already watering and she was eager to find out.

Hestia appeared next to Rose, setting a basket of three large fish down on the corner of the table, and a small book next to it. "Cypri. Recipe book and work order. Just take the work order to Luelas." She pointed at the man in the chef's hat at the merchant counter. "You can keep the book as payment for the first batch. Good luck."

"Right, thanks..." Rose replied, eyeing the fish warily. She had no idea what to do with fish that was any fresher than fillet form. Setting the knife down, Rose opened the little book and scanned the pages. Part of her was relieved, as the first section seemed to outline how to clean a fish. Another part of her dreaded having to do it at all.

"Eechh," Rose groused.

"That any way to greet a friend?"

Rose turned abruptly to look behind her at the somewhat familiar face of Raegis, who was smiling warmly.

"Oh, hello again! Sorry...learning to cook. Where did you come from?"

Raegis gestured to the lift on the dais. "Upstairs. I told you in Eltnen I was headed towards Protector's Hall. I knew you were going to the Library of the Sages, but I didn't expect to find you here."

So, that explained it. The first floor was Artisan's Hall, and Protector's Hall was above it. Rose gestured to the fish in the basket. "Never cleaned a fish before. I expect it will become very unappetising before looking like something I'd want to eat."

"You've never cleaned a fish? Want help?" Raegis offered eagerly, stepping forward.

"Oh, would you?" Rose replied gratefully, feeling somewhat lucky he had happened along. "I'd much rather watch you do it than follow directions in a book. I mean, I don't want you to do all the work, just show me, if you could. I need to earn my way, and all."

Raegis pulled off his green leather gloves, shoved them into his belt, then grabbed a fish. "I can understand that. Going to be a cook, then? I've never bothered learning more than what I need to cook what I hunt."

Rose watched Raegis as he pulled a knife free from a sheath. "Um..."

He looked at her. "What?"

Rose found another knife on the table. "Should probably use this. I don't know who I'm preparing this fish for."

Raegis looked confused, but shrugged and switched knives. He began to slice into the fish while Rose watched. "So, you and the Doctor are here on Eltnen business. Just taking a break to learn a profession?"

"Oh, not really as a profession, no. I just need to learn enough to get us by for a while."

Raegis frowned, pausing with the fish. "You need kinah? How much?"

Rose could infer by its repeated use that "kinah" was a form of currency. She knew he wasn't trying to be rude, but she simply couldn't accept money from him. "Oh, no, it's fine, but thanks. Just a couple meals...and now that I think about it, we're going to need a place to stay for the night."

He resumed cutting up the fish. "Far from home? I've never even thought to stay in Sanctum. I'm sure there's accommodations somewhere nearby. And for that, you'll need kinah. A couple thousand should cover it."

"No, really...I can't accept it."

Raegis looked offended and stopped again. "Why not? A couple thousand kinah is nothing to a Daeva."

Rose bit her lip in thought. If the Doctor and she really were here in Atreia to help in some way, wasn't it all right to accept something in return from one of its inhabitants? Especially when Raegis insisted he was giving her very little. Accepting money from him didn't feel right, though, especially since she hardly knew him and suspected the reason could be that he was sweet on her, and especially since the Doctor wasn't around.

"I just don't want to accept handouts, that's all. Show me how to clean the fish?"

Raegis paused a little longer, but then he shrugged and continued to cut the fish apart. "Sure, no problem. I can appreciate your independence," he stated agreeably. "More than appreciate. Holding your own, that's how you get by in Atreia." The parts of the fish were soon separated, and Raegis presented her with neat fillets. "Now, your turn."

"Oh, God, this won't be pretty," Rose grumbled. She took the knife from Raegis and began to cut a second fish, much less deftly than he had. It was slow going, but he watched patiently. When it came time to separate the meat, Rose carefully worked the blade through, but she couldn't seem to keep the meat all in one piece.

"No, like this," Raegis corrected, reaching forward. He gripped her hand to the knife, and Rose was suddenly aware of the heat of his skin, the tight-fitting green leather along his arm, and the almost glowing presence that seemed to emanate from his being directly behind her. "I have no doubt you could get all of it in pieces," he spoke softly into her ear, "and I normally wouldn't care either if I were eating it, but I imagine you're expected to make it a bit more fancy."

It was incredibly difficult for Rose to concentrate on what exactly he was trying to teach her, but together they got through the fish. "Thanks," Rose offered weakly, and she cleared her throat to try to strengthen her voice. "I think I've got it now. You've been a big help."

To Rose's relief, Raegis backed away. He cleaned off his hands in a bowl of water meant for such purpose, snatched up a towel, then proceeded to dry his hands while simultaneously sitting on a free spot on the table.

The stovetop was continuously heated due to its frequent use, so Rose retrieved a clean pan and began following her recipe. When she clearly wasn't studying the book, Raegis would chat idly with her, telling her about his adventures through the forest surrounding Eltnen Fortress. She found herself relaxing again, and she wondered if she was just being silly and he was just being friendly. Raegis would tell her of his hunts, and Rose would ask him what a "Manduri" or "Frillneck" looked like. He was quite happy to describe them to her, seemingly not surprised at all that she wasn't familiar with them.

Rose squinted at her recipe book. "Kukuru powder...?"

Raegis pointed at the merchant counter. "Probably from him. That's usually how work orders go."

"Oh, right!" Rose exclaimed, remembering what Hestia had said. "Watch the stove?" She snatched up the work order and made her way to the counter to show it to Luelas, who smiled and handed her a bottle. Rose accepted it gratefully and began to season her fish with it. She threw in the dados, and soon they were cooking well and smelled delicious.

Finally, the fried cypri and dados were done. It felt amazing to take a whole fish and create a mouth-watering dish out of it. Rose proudly presented it to Hestia.

"Not bad at all. You wanted more work?"

"Yes, please. Actually...you're probably the one to ask. Is there a place nearby we could stay for the night?"

Hestia thought for a moment. "It's unusual for humans to visit Sanctum, and even more unusual for them to stay the night. I can see your Doctor is a Daeva, though, which makes more sense."

Rose turned to look at Raegis, where Hestia was gesturing. "Oh, no, that's not the Doctor. He's just a friend."

"Ah, well, hardly matters, I suppose, since you're on Eltnen business." She nodded towards the back wall of the hall. "The Galleria just across the Sky Canal has residences above it. Can't miss it." She looked at a scroll in her hand, then over at the tables. "Five more work orders and you've earned yourself meals for two and a room. I'd pick up the pace, though, if you want to finish before supper."


	6. Night on Atreia

This chapter has been edited for the rating system. The unedited version can be found on Teaspoon.

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The Doctor strode across the street, bursting with information he had learned. He probably would have stayed all night had he not wondered what Rose had gotten up to. He felt out for her, but his distracted state made it difficult to feel her, and he decided it would perhaps be easier to just go across the way. Entering the great hall, the Doctor first noticed the central dais, sort of like the one in the Library of the Sages, except this one had a lift. He gazed up at the light streaming down, momentarily distracted as he tried to work out how it functioned, applying what he had learned about manipulating Aether.

Checking the corners of the hall, he noted what looked like a food preparation area and began scanning the people there. He recognised Rose immediately. As he quickened his step, happy to again have her in sight, he then noticed where her attention lay.

The Daeva named Raegis, the man that had rescued him from the heights of Eltnen Fortress, was showing her a puppy-like creature which barked and whirled in a circle excitedly. Rose was laughing delightedly.

A whirlwind of questions buzzed through the Doctor's head. Had Raegis waited until Rose was alone to find her, and how long had he been with her? He had to have known Rose was with the Doctor, so shouldn't he have enough sense to stay away from her? Then came the more troubling thought—because Raegis saved the Doctor's life, did he think the Doctor owed him something?

There was the possibility there was a perfectly reasonable explanation, even though he didn't like Raegis being with Rose at all. If the Doctor did what he felt like doing, Rose wouldn't understand and be cross with him. He plastered a smile on his face and came up decidedly behind Rose, so Raegis saw him first.

"Doctor, there you are," Raegis greeted politely.

Rose whirled, a look of surprise on her face. It seemed like she should have felt him at this proximity, but then the Doctor realised he had been shielding himself from projecting anything in his guarded state. Rose's face lit up, and he wanted to think her surprise wasn't just an interruption, that her now beaming smile was just for him.

"Oh, Doctor, look, they have dogs here! His head is so big, d'you think it's just because he's a puppy and he'll grow out of it, or that's just what they're like here?" The Doctor peered down at the small creature with little interest then back to Rose. Thankfully she picked up on it and calmed somewhat, momentarily glancing at the other man. "Doctor, you remember Raegis? He had mentioned he was heading to Protector's Hall, which is just above Artisan's. Small world, eh?"

The Doctor took in a deep breath through his nose, staring pointedly at Raegis. "Indeed it is. Funny meeting again so soon." He could see in the Daeva's face as Raegis glanced away and towards Rose instead that the Doctor's ability to unnerve people with a look hadn't failed him. So, Raegis wasn't a complete fool.

"So...while you were busy studying," Rose began slowly, tugging on the Doctor's sleeve to get his attention, "I've been working, too. I made us supper, and secured accommodations for a place to stay tonight."

He finally released his eyes from Raegis and diverted his attention, looking to where Rose was pointing. She stepped towards the table and picked up a pan, swirling a fry of something. He followed behind her to peer over her shoulder, but he wasn't really paying attention.

"It's called cypri and dados. I've made loads of it in return for a bit for ourselves. And, when I say I made it from scratch, I mean I literally had to learn to clean a fish. Raegis taught me how to do it properly."

"Did he, now?" the Doctor straightened with raised eyebrows and halfway twisted towards the other man.

Rose was stern. "He was _very_ helpful," she insisted.

"I'm sure he was," the Doctor replied in the same tone.

"It's getting late," Raegis broke in," and I've got several errands to run. A Daeva's work is never done." He smiled at Rose. "I had a great time, Rose. Thanks for having me. I'll see you both later." He finally looked towards the Doctor and nodded politely before heading out, his small pet trotting after him.

"Being rude again?" Rose accused, her annoyance clear as she dished up the food.

"The minute you stepped out, I bet he was here, wasn't he?" the Doctor responded, traces of politeness gone.

Rose put down the now empty pan a little loudly. "He saw me in passing!"

"Demi-god that he is can't stand up to a Time Lord," the Doctor went on.

She ignored his jab. "I found myself having to clean a fish, which is a completely disgusting process by the way, and he was eager to help when I needed it."

"And why do you suppose he _was_ 'eager to help', hm?"

Rose sighed, put down the pan and turned towards him. "I know what you're thinking, believe me, and I was wary of it too, at first. But he's not like that."

He met her eyes, wanting his words to be clear. "I don't know that you're aware enough of it to make that determination." When Rose tongued the back of her teeth and narrowed her eyes at him, however, the Doctor realised he had gone too far.

"Are you saying you don't trust me?" she warned.

Rose was the only one who could unnerve him with a look of her own. He peered at his feet. Of course he trusted her, if it came to it, but he certainly never wanted it to. It wasn't fair for Rose to unknowingly lead Raegis on, which despite her assurances she could unknowingly do, and surely she would want to avoid a messy misunderstanding just as much as he would.

It was more than that, though. He trusted Rose with his hearts, that she wouldn't betray him, but he strongly disliked the idea of sharing her with anyone.

"Guess it's your turn to be uncertain about the next Lura," Rose said in a much softer voice.

He snapped his eyes to hers, her words reminding him of their time on Bosthinatia in Ambassador Lura's complex. Lura had been a physically beautiful Muramphian, but at heart she was wicked and deceptive. The Doctor hadn't hidden his appreciation for the way the creature had moved, but it had confused Rose, and he had needed to explain himself to her to assure her of his loyalty.

One could get angry at another's actions by what they appeared to be, but one also couldn't blame the defensive nature of the heart.

This situation was somewhat different, but Rose had grown understanding of his feelings, so he simply swallowed his discomfort away and nodded.

Rose rewarded him with a hand over his hearts. She glanced around them as someone passed nearby to use the table. "Why don't we take our supper out and go for a wander?"

"Sure," he managed, and for the first time really looked over what Rose had done while he had remained in the Library.

"These fish wrappers are only going to be discarded...if I fold them over, we can carry our food in these," Rose decided as she gathered up some paper. "Here, you take these while I finish cleaning up."

The Doctor helpfully took the bundles of food. The appetising aroma encouraged his stomach to respond, despite his recent loss of appetite. "This smells amazing," he commented appreciatively.

Rose smiled brilliantly at him. "I was so looking forward to showing you. I was so proud that I had actually made fresh fish."

He frowned in remorse. "I'm sorry I ruined it for you. This really is lovely."

There was no trace of disappointment on Rose's face, however. She turned from the table with finality and took her hot food bundle in one hand, threading her fingers through his with the other. "You'll make it up to me, I'm sure."

The Doctor sighed as they made their way out of the hall. Rose called thanks to a distinguished-looking woman as they went. After hours inside a library with his nose in books and his eagerness to leave the location of recent confrontation behind them, the Doctor was looking forward to fresh air, with Rose.

-^^-W-^^-

"See, I've got us some local currency," Rose showed the Doctor excitedly. "It's called kinah. Hestia, the head cook, said this is enough for a room."

The Doctor was unwrapping his dinner and peered into her hand. "Mm, gone native again. What did you call this?" he indicated his meal.

"Cypri is the fish. The chopped bits are from a potato thing called a dado. Have a taste."

He picked some up with his fingers and did so, raising his eyebrows at her. "You made us homemade fish and chips for dinner?"

Rose frowned, then grinned as it hit her. "Oh my God, I did, didn't I? Ooh, that's brilliant!"

"Brilliant!" the Doctor echoed, happy to be happy again with Rose.

Night had fallen, tinting everything in blue, but it was still quite bright. The purple trees that appeared to be cherry blossoms by day now held glowing white spots of pulsing light scattered all over their foliage. Straight above them against the starry night sky, the Doctor could see a pattern of purple circles of varying size, as if the sky were a vast lake and someone had flicked water droplets across its surface. In the center of the pattern from its brightest circle, a wispy trail of strands descended to land, disappearing behind the back wall of the city.

"Was that there on our way to the Library?" Rose asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "Couldn't tell. It was cloudy. Still, I imagine you could see that even in daylight. I wonder if that's what remains of the Tower of Eternity...and that up there is the remnants of the explosion."

"Dunno. It's pretty, though, isn't it?"

"Mm." As the Doctor concentrated on the pattern, he could almost swear it was forming Gallifreyan words. He shook himself. Forming animals out of the clouds, that's all he was doing.

They found themselves turning the corner the way they had originally come towards the Library of the Sages, and the bridge spanning the Sky Canal stretched on before them. Tall lamp posts emitted bright blue light in pairs down the bridge and other walkways across the Canal and surrounded the terraces. Tall windows glowed a warm yellow from within the first floor across the way.

"That's where we're going, I think," Rose said, following his eyes as they started across the bridge. "She said it would be hard to miss. The small windows on the upper stories should be rooms. Did you want to go that way now, or were you not done in the Library?"

"Oh, I'm finished for now. You wouldn't believe some of the things I've learned, too! First of all, Fuchsia's been going to that Library for over five hundred years!"

Rose looked at him incredulously around a mouthful of fish. "Really?"

He nodded. "I wonder how many around here are far older than they look."

"Like you?" Rose interjected, bumping sideways into him as they descended the bridge.

The Doctor nodded again with a small smirk. "Like me. Clio said Telemachus was the oldest around, if I recall, but she didn't say how old he was, or if she meant all of Elysea or just Eltnen Fortress."

"Hestia must be quite the elder, then, to have so much showing on her face," Rose said, taking the last bite of her food and crumpling up her paper wrappings.

"That woman you thanked inside? I don't know, that's the thing. I don't think Daevas continue to physically age after they've ascended."

"So like...Hestia didn't ascend until she was already older? Hm, I don't know."

They had gravitated towards the edge of the bridge where they had stopped before to get a better view. Looking back now at Protector's Hall (and Artisan's, really), they could see the many tall windows of the first three stories glowing that same warm yellow light.

"It's beautiful here at night," Rose said softly in awe as she leaned her elbows on the railing.

"It certainly is," the Doctor agreed, looking around and appreciating the view.

"It's so bright still."

He nodded. "To be expected, considering what we've learned. Oh!" the Doctor exclaimed excitedly. "Some of the people here have the ability to control the elements."

Rose frowned at him. "What, like..."

"You know, earth, fire, wind, water."

"Control like...magic?" Rose asked. The Doctor nodded, and she just stared at him. "Get out of here."

"It's true! I read it in a book!"

"Was it a history book?"

"Well...no. It was a reference to the Spiritmaster subclass, but the book was mostly about healing magic." When Rose continued to stare at him, he gave her his own look. "Rose, they can fly with wings that just sort of appear. Certainly it's not that much of a stretch."

"You're talking like it's Harry Potter. It was probably some book about witchcraft nonsense."

"Rose..." The Doctor leaned down on the railing next to her. "Remember when I told you about the Carrionites?"

Rose paused in thought. "The race the Muramphians want to bring back."

"Right. Well, their form of science is different than what you're familiar with. Your technology is all light bulbs and circuit boards. Time Lord technology is a lot like that, too, although it holds aspects of both. Atreia is a lot more like that of the Carrionites. They use words and spells, and here it manipulates Aether, which is found in every person and every thing. Not everyone can, but some have been found to be adept at it."

"You mean like, Daevas?"

"Well from what I've read, any humans here are capable of learning, but it comes more easily to some. It makes sense that those that draw more on Aether are more likely to ascend. Not all Daevas master spells, though, preferring to use Aether to power their physical strength." The Doctor paused, not wanting to bring up the name again, but found it a decent enough example. "Raegis appears to be of what's considered the Scout class."

"Sounds all very complicated...I didn't think to ask him about it."

The Doctor nodded, already thinking of how to move on. "Clio and the other two, they are Priests. That's a class, too. Healers."

"Yeah, okay. Well, I didn't see them using magic." Rose looked out across the Sky Canal and spotted the flying fish in the distance. "If I do see someone using magic, though, I'll be sure not to tell you, so you can't tell me you told me so."

The Doctor grinned at the humour in her voice. He popped the last piece of dado into his mouth before crumpling up his greasy packaging paper and stood. "C'mon," he managed before swallowing. "Let's see the accommodations you were promised."

-^^-W-^^-

The terrace that connected several ramps on the far side of the Sky Canal held the corner of the building, and at its base was a door. They had entered and found a man behind a desk. When Rose had given him her kinah, they had instantly been handed a key and an iron lantern and directed towards a room. After climbing a series of steps, they found their room.

It wasn't small, which was surprising for what Rose had to have earned, but then the Elyos people did seem to have a penchant for grandeur. The wallpaper was a warm golden brown with ornate dark wood paneling, the floor and ceiling simple wooden boards. The bed was wide and low with four posts, its spread shining like gold leaf. Its swirly pattern matched the pile of pillows in a paler yellow. A small wooden bedside table was just big enough for the unlit candle on its surface. There was a sofa in the same theme as the bed near the window and two matching chairs and table in the other corner.

"Here's the loo," Rose observed as she peered into a narrow doorway beyond the bed. "Be right back."

The Doctor shut the door to the room behind him, locked it, then placed the key and lantern on the table. He walked over to the simple vertical window of six panes and peered outside at the view of the Sky Canal until Rose emerged.

"The bed is gorgeous," Rose said.

"Mm, it is. So is the view, come see." The Doctor felt Rose's arms snake around his middle. He smiled and lifted an arm, drawing her to his front so she could peer out.

"Ooh, we can see where we were."

"Yes, and look down there, that dock? See, someone's boarding the airship."

Rose watched quietly for a moment. "Magic."

"Aether," the Doctor corrected.

"Same difference."

"It's in you, you know. In us."

"What you said before, about the Time Lords having technology sorta like Earth, but sorta different like the Carrionites, or here. What did you mean by that?"

The Doctor drew in a deep breath in thought and began to rub his hand up and down Rose's back. "The language, for example. There are elements to it that have power, especially Old High Gallifreyan. The power of a name is something my people had in common with the Carrionites. Time Lords never reveal their true names."

Rose shifted in his arms to look up at him. "That's why you go by 'the Doctor'?"

He looked back down at her. "Yep."

"You can't even tell me," Rose observed, more of a statement than a question.

The Doctor gazed steadily into her eyes. "You're the only one I would ever tell."

A frown creased her brows slightly. "Why haven't you?"

He dropped his eyes then. "Well, it's...very recent that I even would. Now that we're bonded, it's customary..." He met her eyes again. "Do you want to know it?"

"Of course I do," Rose insisted emphatically.

"You must never tell another soul, never ever, not even utter it when you think no one's listening. If you were to tell someone who asked, the results could be disastrous."

Rose drew a teasing line across her lip with the tip of her tongue. "Not full of ourselves at all, are we?"

"Rose, I mean it," he said firmly.

"I know, I know, I believe you. Couldn't help myself."

The Doctor softened. "I _want_ to tell you. I always have, really, but if I did, it would mean..." He paused and glanced around the room. "Are you sure you want to hear it like this, here? Perhaps we should wait for a ceremony..."

"Just tell me, Doctor. Unless it matters to you that we wait...?"

The Doctor's hold on Rose tightened. "You being with me, here like this, is what matters to me."

"Then tell me."

Her eyes were like liquid honey in the light of the lantern, sweet and rich, and his hearts swelled with love. Bending down, the Doctor embraced Rose in a tender kiss. He found his hearts beating rapidly in anticipation of revealing one of his most closely guarded, certainly longest-kept secrets.

"Could it be possible..." the Doctor murmured huskily after drawing away, his forehead almost touching hers.

"Could what be possible?"

"That you were made just for me?"

"I know you're what I live for." A ghost of a smile crossed Rose's lips. "You're stalling."

"I'm trying to be romantic," he insisted. "To compensate for what you're about to hear."

Rose drew further back to look at him properly. "What do you mean?"

He didn't want to explain it, and he _was_ stalling. His hearts pounding, he drew her close. The Doctor wrapped his bond mate tightly in one arm, raised the fingertips of his free hand to her temple, and whispered his name slowly and clearly into Rose's ear.

Rose shivered in response. They were then both very still for a moment before drawing back to look into each other's eyes.

"That...that's your name?"

"Yes."

"I don't think I could pronounce it if I tried."

"Yet you'll remember it." He tapped her head lightly. "That's part of its power."

"Why does it make me feel..."

"Sad?"

"That's an understatement."

The Doctor turned his eyes down again. "I'm sorry."

"No, no..." Rose raised a hand to cup his face. "It's me that should be sorry." She offered him a compassionate smile. "I've always known you as 'the Doctor' and will always call you that, but now I know you by your true name as well. And why did you share it with me?"

He met her eyes and thought a moment. "So...you can know me more completely, I suppose."

Rose nodded. "Yeah, but I think also so I can help you bear the pain of keeping your secret."

The Doctor struggled to swallow at the compassion in her face. He wondered at how she could understand him so. He threaded his fingers into her hair and had to clear his throat before he spoke. "It's true."

"I know it's true," Rose agreed.

"No, what I said before. You _were_ made just for me."

It was as if Rose's eyes penetrated his very soul. "Well it's a good thing I am, because I'm not going anywhere."

Her arms came out from around him and slipped up his front, over his shoulders and through his hair. Rose pulled the Doctor's head to hers, and it was suddenly all he could do to breathe as her mouth and hands assaulted him with passion. Overwhelmed, the Doctor groaned into the kiss, fighting just to keep up as he was twisted around. A moment later, his back thumped into the glass of the window.

The shocks she was sending through him from everywhere she touched took his breath away. Her fingers drew towards his face and settled at his temples. Her mouth stilled as she concentrated. The Doctor took advantage of the pause to open his eyes and pull in measured breaths in an attempt to recover, but he didn't have long as Rose did something extraordinary, leaving the Doctor with no doubt that his bond mate had completely recovered from her mental distress.

The power at which Rose's presence asserted itself within his mind was of a far greater shock than her physical stimulation thus far. His eyes rolled back in his head as he was momentarily lost in the emotional surge. When it began to dissipate, the Doctor found himself being supported by Rose. Apparently, his knees had given out on him.

"You all right?"

He blinked rapidly, still attempting to catch his breath. "How...how did you do that?"

Rose grinned slowly. "I think my mind's better now."

"Yeah," the Doctor croaked in agreement as he nodded vigorously. When he was able to stand properly, Rose began to guide him towards the bed.

When he was with Rose, the Doctor habitually opened his mind fully towards her in order to be completely receptive to each and every tiny current she could manage to give him. He had taught her a little along the way how to project thoughts, even though humans in general didn't have a strong ability, so that telepathic species could understand her, starting with the korwi species of Bosthinatia and later moving on to himself.

He hadn't been prepared for such a powerful burst from her, and it had practically incapacitated him.

Upon reaching the bed, Rose prompted him down onto it. He sat, but she prodded his shoulder until he reclined completely. The Doctor watched her as she followed him, first kneeling until she could straddle across him and settle to the opposite side of him. Rose lay facing him expectantly, so he turned and mirrored her position.

When Rose extended her hand towards his head, he now instinctively raised a protective barrier within his mind. As she touched his temple and frowned at the lack of connection, he eased it away, tentatively feeling for her touch. There it was, now controlled and steady. The Doctor breathed in a calming breath as he basked in her presence within and without.

If Rose didn't tend to do such crazy, passionate things to him, the Doctor would be content to lie connected with her in this way, always. She began to ramp up her assault again, however, and the Doctor gripped her hand as he attempted to put up walls again. They crumbled readily away, because in all honesty, he really didn't _want_ to shield himself from her at all.

The Doctor fought to keep eye contact, but his eyelids fluttered as his eyes rolled. His breaths came in shallow pants, and he was unable to pull in a deep breath if he tried. He was completely helpless when it came to Rose, and he wouldn't have had it any other way.

When Rose eased off and her face came back into focus, he could see her eyes wildly roaming his face.

"Oh, Rose," he whispered reverently.

"You really, really like that," Rose replied.

"Oh, yes," he assured her. Propping himself on an elbow, the Doctor allowed himself more freedom to move towards her. As much as he loved receiving, he was no longer content to do just that thanks to his amorous companion. Raising his fingers to the side of her head, he settled two of them in the warm, conductive hollow behind her eye.

The Doctor tightened his jaw and his nose flared. Rose cried out and her back arched. He psychically retreated but didn't move his hand. "Did that hurt?"

"No," Rose panted. "Oh, God, no." She pulled at him, trying to get closer. The Doctor obliged, dropping down to kiss her. He resumed his penetration into her mind at a more manageable level, and Rose in turn was able to guide her touch back to his own temple.

The Doctor groaned at the dizzying power of the intimate circle they created. Too much to her and she would lose her hold on him, and vice versa. The balance would take practice, he thought, and as Rose read this from him, he could feel her agreement.

As satisfying as their shared connection was for the Doctor, he was incredibly aroused physically, and Rose clearly was as well. She couldn't seem to get close enough to him and kept tearing at his collar. When the limbo between trying to keep contact and the inability to go further became too much, the Doctor let go of her completely and drew back, collecting himself enough for his logical mind to function.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Rose lay before him, breathing and moving and looking at him in such a way as to be overpoweringly seductive, and he couldn't seem to think about what he had intended to do next other than keep watching her.

Rose reached forward and tugged at the top fastenings of his suit jacket. "I want this _off_."

"Right," the Doctor rasped. "Right, I was going to do that. Yes."

They rid themselves of their clothing and drew together, finding their shared arousal more than sufficient with nothing but their mental stimulation as foreplay. After joining physically as lovers, they reasserted their psychic connection, the Doctor bracing his elbows under her shoulders and taking her head in both of his hands while Rose raised both her hands to frame his face. It was _incredible_, not knowing where his pleasure ended and hers began, feeding back in a blinding and seemingly unending loop that sent them into oblivion.

An unknown span of time passed. The Doctor's blissful state was at some point interrupted as he became aware that he had collapsed on top of Rose, although she didn't seem to be showing any signs of discomfort. Nevertheless, the Doctor shifted to the side, and it was then he realised that they were still mentally linked, even though he hadn't known exactly when he had physically let go of her head. Drawing as close as he could to her side, the Doctor pulled the sheets and bedspread over them, cradled Rose's head to his chest, and fell into a blissful shared sleep.


	7. Spark

With Part One complete, this begins Part Two: Magic.

* * *

-^^-W-^^-

"Rose, wake up!"

She tried to ignore him. Bed was very comfortable. Maybe he would leave her alone for a little while longer.

"Rooose. I know you're awake. Wakey, wakey, wakey!"

"Rrrrrph. How long did you let me sleep this time?" Rose mumbled.

"Exactly eight hours. Any less and I knew you'd be upset with me, and I don't want you to be upset with me, because it would be no good for you to be upset when I have something _amazing_ to show you! I was so excited, but you hadn't been asleep for eight hours yet, so I even went outside so I wouldn't make too much noise and wake you accidentally, but now it's been eight hours, so rise and shine! C'mon, look, look, look!"

Rose wanted to argue the fact that "exactly eight hours" didn't necessarily mean she was ready to wake up, but he was obviously excited about something. It wasn't the romantic way to start the day she was hoping for, either. This had better be good, she thought. Rose cracked an eye open to see the Doctor fully dressed and sat on a chair facing the bedside table. He was leaning forward, the flickering glow on his face coming from the candle in front of him. He looked at her expectantly, and after a moment he gestured at the candle, as if the fact that it was in front of her explained everything.

"It's a candle."

The Doctor grinned at her, and his tone might as well have been presenting to her one of the Universe's great secrets. "I lit it."

Rose stared dully at the Doctor for a moment, realising she probably wasn't understanding the importance of what he meant, but he wasn't doing anything to clarify either. "Congratulations on finding yourself a matchstick."

"No, no, no, like this, watch!" A quick whoosh of air blew the candle out, and a thin wisp of black smoke trailed upwards between the Doctor's cupped hands. "So far the wick has to be in the exact center for it to work..."

Suddenly, a candle flame brightened between his hands, as if the wick had simply lit itself. The Doctor drew his hands away, the motion causing the flame to dance as it cast across his broadly-grinning face.

Rose blinked. She then blinked again and propped herself up on her elbows. "How did you do that?"

"Aether! Or rather, I controlled the Aether inside of me. Specifically, I excited the oxygen molecules until they ignited. Aether makes it so simple, I can't believe I didn't see it before!"

When Rose stared at him now, it was in wonder bordering on the edge of disbelief. "You...you used magic?"

"Pretty much, yeah," he replied. "Granted, it's just a candle, but it's a start." The Doctor shifted his attention from the candle to Rose excitedly. "You try it!"

Rose was now fully awake. "Wha'?"

"C'mon!" He blew out the candle again and held out his hands. "I'll show you how I did it, give me your hands."

She shook her head and laughed incredulously. "I can't do that! I don't have mental abilities like you do."

The Doctor stared at Rose like she had sprouted a second head. "Rose, you practically _rendered me unconscious_ last night with your 'mental abilities'."

His words caused a thrill to shoot through Rose. She considered the Doctor the strongest and the most capable man she had ever met, certainly the most self-sufficient and master of hiding his feelings. The way he looked at her now in awe with the corners of his mouth slightly upturned and to hear such a confession made freely from him made Rose feel like she could do anything. He believed in her.

"Besides, while your growing telepathic ability indicates an overall psychic strength, it's also about simple understanding. All of these people here, they're human like you, too. You don't have to be a Daeva to manipulate Aether, remember?

Rose bit her lip, thinking on his words. She thought about the night before, the way she had been able to make the Doctor feel. The surprise and elation she had felt from him was as if he had never felt it before, and the fact that she could do that for him was incredibly satisfying. It was also terrifying, because Rose dreaded to think what would happen to him if something were to happen to her. Just to be able to experience intimacy the way the Doctor could with her, a connection of minds Rose assumed other human beings never could, was an opportunity she couldn't imagine being without now.

"Have you ever done what we did last night ever before?" Rose asked. "I mean, surely with someone else, you've lived so long, I can't imagine you not..." she trailed off, now regretting that she asked the question because she probably didn't want to know the answer.

The Doctor gazed at her tenderly. "Nothing like that. I've had...experiences, sure." He brushed the side of her head with his fingertips, his eyebrows drawing together and his voice heartfelt. "But Rose, you've filled a void in my hearts I hadn't even known I had been desperately searching for, for literally ages." He attempted to recover his voice after it cracked and cast his eyes downward. "A void in my mind I wasn't sure at first you would be able to fill, but my hearts insisted you would."

Rose blinked rapidly, trying to keep her eyes from releasing their tears. The closer they became, the more the Doctor opened up to her about his feelings. It made sense since she had physically _felt_ his emotions as he projected them through her mind, but until very recently, he had been so guarded and hard to read.

He abruptly cleared his throat, shaking himself. "Anyway!" he exclaimed brightly. "You're doing magic. Now. C'mere."

Deciding to at least indulge him, Rose began to shift, then stopped. "Can you find my top?"

The Doctor looked down and snatched something off the floor near his chair and handed it to her with a lopsided grin. Rose pinned him with her eyes, challenging him to say something prideful and see where it got him, but he stayed quiet. Quickly slipping the shirt over her head, she sat up properly near the edge of the bed so she could reach her hands towards the candle.

"Just here," the Doctor instructed, taking her hands and placing them gently in position around the unlit wick. "At least when I've done it, the wick has to be exactly centered between my hands. Now," he began softly as his eyes slipped closed, "close your eyes and concentrate. Do you feel the Aether inside of you?"

Rose frowned with her eyes closed. "No."

There was a pause. "Really? Right, well...okay, I know. When we landed here yesterday and you woke up, did you feel differently?"

"I felt...energised, full of life and potential..."

"That will work. I know what you're talking about, I felt the same when I let it in. Okay, concentrate on that feeling, that difference. That's your link."

Rose remembered back to how she first felt upon waking up in the TARDIS, her first experience on Atreia. She relived that exuberance, centering her thoughts on that feeling alone. "Okay, I've got it."

"Now, shift that feeling to your hands."

"How do I do that?"

"Just...imagine it. I dunno." He was quiet a moment as Rose did her best to follow the Doctor's instructions. "Ooh, there you go! I feel it in your hands, good! Now do the same thing, but out from your hands. Think of it as passing between your hands, if that helps."

Rose concentrated while the Doctor remained silent. Several minutes passed, Rose occasionally opening an eye to check if anything had happened, but there was nothing. "I told you I can't do it."

"Hm."

Another moment passed, and suddenly Rose was caught off guard by the presence of the Doctor's mind within hers, even though his fingers weren't near her temple as was always done before. She gasped and opened her eyes to look at him. His eyes were closed, but they opened to meet hers. He grinned at her.

"How...you're not...I mean, you're touching my hands, but..."

"Not your head? I know! Isn't it brilliant? I noticed it last night before we slept."

"So...it's stronger now?"

"Seems to be. Makes me wonder just how strong it could get with practice. Okay so, anyway, try again and let me feel what you do."

Rose closed her eyes and tried again. She could feel the Doctor's presence following her every move. Both this sensation and trying to manipulate Aether was a lot to handle at once, and Rose felt completely out of her depth. Finally, the Doctor moved her hands away, and she opened her eyes.

"Don't get frustrated," he told her. "I can tell you're doing everything the way I did, but for some reason it's still not working. But don't worry, we'll try again later, okay?"

Rose sighed dejectedly, more concerned about having let him down than anything. She couldn't tell for sure, but she imagined he was trying to hide his disappointment. "Or never."

"I'm sure you've almost got it. Don't beat yourself up. Besides, it's just a candle."

She could tell he was just trying to make her feel better, so she smiled her thanks. "So, what's the plan now?"

The Doctor stood and walked towards the window. "I'd like to go by the Library again and see if I can borrow one of those books about magic, now that I have more of an understanding of it."

Rose inwardly sighed. She had nothing against learning more about this place, but libraries had never been her thing, not for the books, anyway. She much preferred to go out amongst the people, learning from what she could see.

"Just a quick trip, yeah? Then we go get some breakfast and see the sights?"

He smiled warmly at her. "Definitely, sounds like a plan." He gestured for her to hurry up. "Now, up you get!"

Rose grinned, excited about the day ahead and what wonders it would bring. She would often wake up sleepy, never having been a morning person, but the promise of running with the Doctor was all she needed to get herself going in the morning.

Rising from the bed, the Doctor's eyes were immediately drawn towards her bare hips and legs. She crouched down to collect the rest of her clothing. "I'll just be a minute in the loo getting dressed."

"Can I watch?"

With her bundle of clothes, Rose gave him a mock-glare over her shoulder as she moved towards the inner doorway. "Git."

The last image Rose beheld as she closed the door behind her was that of the Doctor's silly smile and failed attempt to hide his amusement.

-^^-W-^^-

The Doctor had caught Rose just behind the door as he drew her into his arms in a tender good-morning kiss. After several minutes had passed and it was clear that if they didn't leave now they wouldn't get any exploring done, they managed to part to the point of holding hands as they checked out of the Inn. They chatted idly across the Sky Canal on the way to the Library, but when they began down Divine Road, Rose stopped dead in her tracks at a familiar sight parked along the wall outside the entrance to the Library of the Sages.

"The TARDIS!" she exclaimed.

The Doctor was grinning, as if unveiling a surprise. "Thought you'd like her a bit closer to home."

She turned to him with wide eyes. "You went all the way back to Eltnen?"

"I did. It's not that far, really. And before you ask, all it took was a pleasant conversation with the teleporter for him to offer me a complimentary ride."

"So...you just, what, left in the middle of the night?"

The Doctor frowned defensively, and he raised a hand to scratch at the back of his head. "I told you, I went out so you could sleep! I was excited and would have woken you up otherwise." The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets. "Thought you'd be thanking me."

"You said 'out' but I thought you meant on the plaza or something. So you actually flew the TARDIS here, while I was sleeping. What if you got it wrong again and came back a year later?" Rose's voice had escalated. "I would have been stranded here, probably getting a job as a rubbish cook or something!"

"I wouldn't do that to you!" the Doctor retorted, his own voice rising.

"You _left_ me!"

"I _didn't_!" he insisted.

Rose stared at the Doctor, very hurt, and surprised at how quickly she could feel betrayed by him. Remorse was clear on his face, and she saw that the Doctor was horrified that he had hurt her. She wanted to ask why he hadn't told her earlier that he had actually taken off in the TARDIS, but that was just the thing. It was nothing to him to simply park the TARDIS closer, but to Rose, he had essentially left the planet.

"I thought you'd be happy," the Doctor said miserably.

Rose sighed deeply and hugged him. "I'm sorry, I just...I know. I get why you did it, I do. Just...don't leave again without me?"

"I didn't _leave_, Rose—"

"Please. Unless it's life or death." _I need to know if it could be the last time I'll see you,_ she thought.

The Doctor squeezed Rose tighter as he thought on her words. "I won't. I promise."

Rose drew away after a moment, determined to lighten the mood. She forced a smile up at him and glanced again at the TARDIS. "So. You've chosen the Library as home base, then? You plan on spending a lot of time here?"

The Doctor took in a cleansing breath and removed his hands from his pockets, clearly also eager to move on. "Oh, I don't know. So far, this seems to be the best source of information, and since I don't know exactly why we're supposed to be here, until I find out, this sort of makes sense. I also didn't want you to feel like you had to pay our way to travel. So...yes?"

Rose's smile was now genuine, and he gratefully smiled back at her. The pair descended the stairs, the sounds of morning birds replaced by the cavernous and muted sounds of the Library of the Sages.

"Doctor, I was hoping you would return today," Fuchsia greeted them immediately.

"Oh? Well, that's nice," the Doctor replied as he and Rose entered. "Good to see you again, too."

"Clio had another vision in the night. She sent a messenger not long ago to find you."

The Doctor's interest was instantly piqued. "Oh? What did she see?"

Fuchsia clasped her hands in front of her. "She says you're to travel to Verteron."

The Doctor waited a moment for her to continue. "That's it? Go to Verteron?"

Fuchsia nodded. "You are meant to go there, yes."

He frowned at her. "So...in her vision, she just saw us going to Verteron."

The woman spread her hands. "I don't know what Clio saw, as such. I'm merely a messenger myself in this."

"Right, of course you are," the Doctor said in way of apology. "Well, thank you. Actually, the reason I came was to ask you—would it be all right if I borrowed a book for a little while?"

Fuchsia smiled, her young appearance betraying her knowledge of centuries. "Depends on the book."

The Doctor was moving. "Let me find it. Be right back."

Rose waited for him as he ran off into the back of the room. She smiled at Fuchsia, who smiled politely back. Rose noticed the Doctor hadn't mentioned to Fuchsia that he was trying to learn more about magic, and considering how excited he was about it, she wondered if he was worried about letting on that he had just now discovered how to use it. Rose was excited for him, too, but she didn't see why he would be shy about it. He probably just hadn't gotten around to telling Fuchsia yet. Rose had just learned basic cooking from Hestia, and magic was a way of life for these people, so surely they came by adult students often. Rose then wondered if Fuchsia would actually be able to help the Doctor better if she knew more details.

She pointed after the Doctor, smiling conversationally. "He's just learning how to use fire."

Fuchsia's eyebrows went up. "Oh?"

"Yeah. He just lit a candle this morning. D'you think that's a good start?"

The woman frowned and clarified, "You mean with magic?"

Rose nodded. "Well, yeah."

Fuchsia turned to look towards the Doctor at the far end. "Is that what he's looking for now? A tome on beginner spells?"

Rose crossed her arms, feeling strange that the topic could actually be the stuff of a serious conversation. "I think so, yeah."

Fuchsia turned to look towards the entrance in thought, then abruptly strode towards another wall of books, her long white dress swishing around her feet. Rose waited a moment before following, curious as to what she had prompted Fuchsia to do. As she drew closer, she noticed the books in this section were much newer-looking than those the Doctor and she had been reading yesterday. Fuchsia removed a book, glanced at its cover, then turned towards the Doctor and took note of the book he held in his hand. She then nodded.

"You're welcome to study that book here all you like, but I think you'll find this one helpful." Fuchsia presented the book she held. "And you may keep it." The Doctor looked to Fuchsia in surprise, then to Rose. Rose bit her lip but didn't say anything, so he traded Fuchsia books and opened the newer one to look inside as Fuchsia continued. "These are normally supplied by Mage Trainers, but we have a few copies here. Clio was quite insistent in delivering you her message, so you must be on important business for her. This will no doubt assist you along the way."

The Doctor grinned down at the pages and beamed at Fuchsia enthusiastically. "Thank you. Really, thank you very much!" Rose grinned too, happy to be a part in making him smile so much.

They left the Library of the Sages, the Doctor walking with his glasses perched on his nose and his eyes peering at his book. Rose took a closer look at his new possession, noting the blue cover with brown trim all the way around the edges and binding. There was a red interlocking symbol in the center of both front and back covers, and the front read, "Spellbook for Training."

"Is that what you were looking for?" Rose asked.

"I think so," the Doctor replied, looking to her with a little smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. "Thank you."

Rose smiled back, happy he had understood what she had done. "You're welcome." She looked ahead of them, noting the Doctor had automatically steered them down the road towards the TARDIS. "So, we're using the TARDIS, then?"

The Doctor snapped his book shut and looked to his ship. "Make an attempt to, yes. That's partly why I brought her here. I don't know how you'll handle a quick trip across distance, but we won't know until we try."

Rose thought about this, wondering if she should worry. She didn't know enough about Time travel to know what it would do to her, but she trusted the Doctor did, and she knew he wouldn't do anything he thought could harm her. "You have Aether now, too. Did it do anything to you?"

"Soon as I put her shields up, it slowly began to fade, but when I landed I was instantly infused with it again. I think it's safe, and I'd like to get some scans of you in the process to know more about what we're dealing with."

Rose nodded as the Doctor retrieved the TARDIS key and opened the door. She welcomed the familiar sight of the console room, breathing a sigh of relief to be "home" while remaining wary and alert to anything that might feel different to help the Doctor get some answers.

-^^-W-^^-

"So we're headed for that place Fuchsia mentioned, yeah? Where Clio said to go."

"Verteron, yes," the Doctor affirmed as he worked at the console.

Rose trailed a hand along the rim of the console as she circled it slowly. "I take it you know how to get there."

"I found a map last night on my wander, actually. I recognised Verteron as the location of the first Fortress built to defend its Abyss Gate." The Doctor squinted at the monitor. "And I believe...that hub of activity there is where we want to go."

Rose made her way around to the monitor to look, but the Doctor had set his book down and was already circling around ahead of her, flipping levers and pressing buttons in a mad dance. As the Time Rotor began to pump and the TARDIS launched into flight, Rose hung on before she was thrown to the floor. She immediately began to feel a draining sensation. It wasn't really a physical weakness, but there was definitely a sensation of loss. When the TARDIS landed shortly with a shudder, the feeling faded, and Rose told the Doctor what she had felt.

He nodded in acknowledgment. "That's good. Basically what I felt. No noticeable detrimental effects."

Rose looked hopeful. "Does that mean I can leave?"

"It means a few seconds with a low level of Aether doesn't hurt you." The Doctor looked up from the console to regard her seriously. "Right now, that's all we can tell."

Rose nodded, resigning herself to accept that much would have to remain unknown.

"We're there! C'mon, let's go check out Verteron Citadel."

Rose followed him towards the doors. "We're still in, um...the southern half, right?"

"Elysea, yes. Actually, Verteron is between Sanctum and Eltnen on the map." The Doctor opened the door, and with a smile, let Rose exit first.

The Doctor had been right about their destination being a hub of activity. The first thing Rose noticed was the people rushing along in all directions. The second thing she was happy to note was that unlike the last time she had exited the TARDIS, this time they were definitely on the ground.

Rose could see a strip of cobblestone road at the lowest level, just under the sort of crooked, cracked stone tile platform the TARDIS had landed on. Across the pathway, a wall of a higher tier was broken by a stairway leading up. Other tiers, seemingly both randomly higher and lower, could be seen beyond it.

The TARDIS had landed in a quiet sort of alley, to the side of a building to the left. A high wall stood behind them and to the right, not nearly to the scale of Sanctum's, which Rose had come to recognise as an outer wall of defence. The buildings had stone brick foundations with wooden braces, reminding Rose of old English architecture, but the tall round archways and columns gave it the Roman and Greek feel she had so far found common in Elysea.

She stepped out towards the cobblestone square and could now clearly see the half dozen buildings that rimmed the outer wall of the Citadel and faced inward, like a little village. Rose looked up. From the top of the wall all around them, eight stone spokes that looked impossibly heavy met in the middle to form a dome, open air between the spokes. Floating over the center of the dome was a great chunk of rock that reminded Rose a lot of Eltnen Fortress. From an indentation in the center of the rock, a brilliant blue green light shone forth.

"The Abyss Gate," the Doctor murmured in awe.

Rose stared at it, but asked, "That light? How do you know it's a gate?"

"I recognise it. Eltnen Fortress is built on top of its Abyss Gate."

She finally looked at him. "You went under the Fortress?"

He was still admiring the Abyss Gate above. "Yes. I had to take the lift back up after I...well, fell."

Rose paused, making sure she heard him right. "You _what?_"

The Doctor made an unhappy face, massaging the back of his neck as if in discomfort. "Raegis sort of...saved my life." He looked at her.

Her eyes were wide. "You fell. Off Eltnen Fortress."

He nodded. "How we met, yeah."

"And you didn't think to tell me."

His eyes bugged. "Rose, I was more concerned with _your_ life at the time."

Rose laughed, looking back up at the light above. "I suppose that's meant to sound sweet." All Rose could think about was that the Doctor had almost died while she was asleep, just like he had essentially _left_ her while she was asleep. Then she remembered the reason she had been unconscious upon arrival on Atreia in the first place, and from his perspective, he was right.

Swallowing her frustration with this mad, impossible and brilliant man, Rose wrapped an arm around him in a sideways hug. "Don't die on me, okay?"

The Doctor offered her a tight smile, clearly dejected that he had upset her again. "Oh, Rose." He squeezed her to his side. "I worry more about you than me."

"I know. Stop it."

"No."


	8. Verteron

A potion bottle spun lazily in its frame above the door to the apothecary building immediately to their left. The Doctor strode ahead up the stairs, the building ahead to the right against the wall sporting a spinning shield and swords logo above its door.

"Look," Rose prompted, pointing up at the sky.

Two Daevas were flying in what appeared to be a patrol along the perimeter of the Citadel, their white, slender wings gleaming in the morning light. Throughout the Citadel, other Daevas could be seen landing seemingly wherever they pleased, while yet others would launch upwards and fly out between the spokes of the dome above.

"Beautiful," Rose murmured.

"Indeed," the Doctor agreed.

"You know, now that I think about it, I didn't see anyone flying in Sanctum at all."

The Doctor pondered this. "Mm, you're right, good point." He then caught a whiff of something savory and looked to the next house ahead, this one wielding a couple of slices of toast above its door. "Ah-hah! Breakfast, perhaps?"

"Good, I'm starved," Rose said.

A woman near the door sweeping at the floor smiled sweetly at them as they entered. Once inside, the Doctor noted the quaint but spacious interior, its plaster mansard roof supported by wooden beams and its floor made of stone bricks. The place was currently empty except for a woman that stood behind a large wooden counter at the back. One far corner was filled with casks and burlap sacks, and shelves hung from the walls on all sides, holding a variety of goods. Between the shelves hung crude lanterns that cast a warm yellow light, and two lanterns on long iron chains hung from the high ceiling down over the counter. Two finished wood tables with their benches sat atop tattered purple rugs along the two side walls. The Doctor and Rose passed between them and approached the counter, stepping onto a furry brown animal hide that lay in front of it.

"Please, take your time," the young woman behind the counter said. She was wearing a cute little black and white lacy dress with a white apron and gloves.

"Thanks," the Doctor said pleasantly. "What do you have for breakfast? For..." He looked down as Rose emptied a small pouch of coins on the counter, "...what we have?"

She quickly counted the coins. "Umeru omelette and neira juice okay?" She smiled and nodded at the book in the Doctor's hand. "Good for keeping the mind sharp and alert."

"Sounds lovely. Rose?" The Doctor looked to her, and she nodded back eagerly.

"Only nine twenty," she said before picking up all but a few coins. "You want them to go?" The Doctor and Rose again looked to each other.

"Wouldn't mind eating here," Rose told him. "It's nice."

He nodded in agreement. "We'll eat here, thanks."

"Great, just be a few moments. Make yourselves comfortable."

They made their way to a bench and sat next to each other just as another customer came in, although the counter was far enough away that they couldn't hear the conversation.

"So," Rose began as she leaned her elbows on the table. "Clio said to go to Verteron. Any idea what we're looking for?"

"Not a clue," the Doctor replied. "Have faith, Rose." He bumped her shoulder. "You're not in a hurry, are you?"

"I'm in a hurry to eat, that's for sure," she said. "I'm famished."

"Wore you out last night, did I?" he continued to tease her.

Rose turned a teasing grin back at him. "Oh I dunno, I think I wore you out more than you did me."

He raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Could be right. You were quite exhausting. I slept a whole two hours."

"Oi!" Rose laughed.

"No, I'm serious! That's a lot for me!" He laughed along with her. He caught a signal from the lady at the counter. "Oop, time to eat, I think."

They both grabbed their plates and mugs of juice and returned to the table. Rose tucked into her omelette quite ferociously, and the Doctor wasn't far behind her.

"This is delicious," Rose commented appreciatively around a mouthful of food.

"It certainly is." The Doctor sipped at his mug. "Mm, try the juice."

"Please," came the pained voice of a man outside, causing them both to look up. The Doctor and Rose leaned over to get a better look out the door, and the Doctor spotted a man with his arms out in supplication, following after someone else he couldn't see. "Please, Daeva, you've got to help me!" He moved out of view, and nothing more said could be heard.

"What was that about?" Rose asked.

"Don't know," the Doctor wondered. He sat and listened, but apparently the man had wandered away. Finally, he turned back to his meal. "Needing something from a Daeva, apparently."

Rose chewed thoughtfully, and they both ate the rest of their breakfast in silence. She drained the last of her mug and set it down with finality. "Do you think he found help?"

"You want to go and see?"

She shrugged at him. "Could he be why we're here?"

"I couldn't say no if he asked us, could you?" Rose shook her head, and the Doctor smiled at her compassion and stood. "Let's go then. He can't have gone far."

As they exited, they both looked straight on towards the far side of the Citadel, but the Doctor couldn't see what he recognised as the man he had seen. As they walked on, the Doctor noted the open archway as tall as the wall itself, far across the plaza just past the apothecary. They were now passing the back of the Citadel, and immediately to their right stood the largest and most grand of the buildings. The Doctor recognised the draped ceiling inside as resembling the Nobelium in Eltnen Fortress, where they met Clio. So, that was a priest building.

In front of this was a tall familiar statue, its wings glowing with green veins as if Aether were its lifeblood.

A man stood near it with his hands folded before him, as if in prayer. The dark red colour of his robe, hood, and even the style of crest on top of his head reminded the Doctor strongly of official Gallifreyan uniform. His thoughts automatically went towards assuming the man had business related to administration of Time, but he told himself this inclination came only from the resemblance in attire.

Someone materialised in front of the statue, a man in brown leather armour with his hands on his knees as if he were trying to catch his breath. He immediately looked up to get his bearings, focused on the man in the red robe, and stumbled over to him. The Doctor and Rose stopped to watch as the robed man put his hand on the other's armour-clad shoulder. Both were looking down for a moment, and when they raised their heads, the man in distress nodded as if in thanks, appeared to pay the man in uniform, and wandered wearily a short distance away to sit down on a set of low steps.

The Doctor and Rose shared a confused look, and instead of passing by this curiosity he had seen before in Eltnen Fortress, the Doctor decided to go ask the red-robed man what had taken place.

"Excuse me," he began, and the man looked up. "What was it you did for that bloke just now?"

The robed man gave the Doctor a once over, clearly not accustomed to such questions. "Have you never seen an Obelisk before?"

"Oh, I have," the Doctor was able to truthfully assure him as he looked up at the winged statue, "I just haven't been able to determine what they actually do. Call me an idiot."

"Obelisks are made of Aetheric Ore," he explained. "If you choose, you can permanently bind the image of your soul to it. If you're about to die, Aion will be merciful and draw your soul back here through the Aetheric currents where the Obelisk will reconstruct your body, but your soul will be damaged." He placed a hand to his chest and bowed his head slightly. "That's where I come in. I am Palaemon, Verteron Citadel's Soul Healer. I can channel the Obelisk's energy to purify your soul once again."

The Doctor opened his mouth in wonder and looked over the Obelisk once again with newfound appreciation. "Right...thank you."

Someone else approached Palaemon, and Rose drew close to the Doctor. "So it's like an emergency transport device, but you have to be near death for it to work?"

"Aether once again works as an interface. Some sort of...data server and matter printer, all in one, but it only works with Aether, here on Atreia." The Doctor made a face. "A device that can actually sync with one's soul, that's fearsome technology. I wonder if it works anything like a Chameleon Arch."

There was a pause before Rose asked, "What's a Chameleon Arch?"

"A Time Lord...thing, rewrite's one's biology. But no, this is different."

They both gazed up at the statue. "Runs on magic," Rose commented.

"Mm..." He smiled at Rose. "Indeed it does. Still..." The Doctor gave the statue one last critical look before continuing on their way. "This thing very well could play havoc with my regeneration cycle."

They wandered towards the far side of the Citadel, the Doctor musing in thought when Rose pointed at a man sat with his back against one of the tier walls.

"Is that him?" Rose asked. They strode closer. The man was middle-aged and in civilian clothing, his arms draped over his knees as he hung his head.

The Doctor crouched before him and voiced sympathetically. "Everything all right, mate?"

The man looked up and sniffled, his eyes puffy from weeping. "My son," he wailed. "Always looking for adventure, he is. I told him to stay. I _told_ him!"

"What happened to your son?" the Doctor prompted.

The man gestured vaguely towards the Citadel entrance. "Set out for Tolbas Village. He said he would be back by nightfall, but he never returned."

The Doctor frowned. "Maybe he had to stay in Tolbas and couldn't send word? He could be all right."

The father shook his head. "There are aggressive worgs out there. I fear he's been attacked. I'd go look for him, but I can't walk that far, not with my leg. The worgs would have me for sure!" He looked about ready to break down in tears again.

"Hey," the Doctor tried to comfort him. "What's your name?"

The man took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself before answering. "Golben."

"And what's your son's name, Golben? What's he look like?"

Tarphonian, he's only seventeen. Short brown hair, blue eyes. Slim like yourself, but a bit shorter. He's strong, that boy, but he's just a kid."

The Doctor nodded in understanding. "How far is Tolbas?"

"Tolbas Village?" He pointed towards the Citadel gate again. "About two hours down the road. He was only supposed to be gone the day!"

"We could look for him for you," Rose interjected, and the Doctor looked to her. "Couldn't we?"

The Doctor nodded. "'Course we can, yes."

"Just the pair of you?" Golben said in surprise. "You're not Daevas. By the looks of you, you're not even fighters. You could die out there."

"Was the Daeva you asked afraid to go out there looking for him?"

"No, no," Golben denied angrily. "He was on his way to Sanctum on 'important business' and couldn't be bothered with a lost boy."

"Your son, Tarphonian, is it? _He _thought to go alone, so I'm sure we'll be all right. Besides," the Doctor leaned towards Rose and smiled encouragingly at Golben, "we've been known to do a hero's work a time or two."

"Well, I certainly can't stop you. Aion knows I tried and couldn't stop Tarphonian," Golben said miserably.

"We'll certainly try, but if the road looks too dangerous, we'll turn back and find another way." The Doctor stood up. "Until you hear from us, take care of yourself and keep trying. Don't give up on your son, all right?"

Golben breathed deeply and stood up. "You're right. And thank you both." He fished into a pocket and pulled out a small crystal, then pointed to the house just ahead of them. "I just picked this up from the general store, was going to offer it to the next Daeva I found in hopes that a gift would be more successful." He offered it to the Doctor. "It's an Elemental Stone of Resurrection. It only works on Daevas, of course, but it's all I can offer you as thanks."

The Doctor could immediately feel the power stored inside of it when he touched the crystal. Its shape was hexagonal and oblong, partially transparent and shining white in the light. He looked up at Golben. "Thank you."

-^^-W-^^-

They parted from Golben, and the Doctor and Rose found themselves walking the rest of the way around the Citadel towards the archway in the wall. The tiers were higher in the back of the fortress, so as they descended, they could now see the pool of water in the center of the square.

"So! Fancy a walk?" the Doctor asked Rose.

"Into danger?" Rose suggested. "What are worgs, anyway?"

The Doctor breathed in deeply before answering. "Canine in nature. Generally mean creatures."

Rose stopped. "Wolves?"

He turned to her, nodding. "If you like."

"There's wolves on the road."

"Well, I doubt they're just crawling all over it, or it wouldn't be a road."

Rose pondered this, then began walking again. "Wolves only come out at night, yeah? And this village is only a couple hours away, he said."

Most of the width of the Citadel's entrance was blocked with spiked barricades to either side. The Doctor and Rose walked between burning fire pots at their ends, past the two sentinels and another row of barricades, then down a hill. Swamp stretched out to either side of the road, pink birds on tall legs standing on one particular pool. Tall, bulbous plants that looked like they should be underwater stretched up the height of trees here and there. The mountainous gorge the Citadel was set within rose up high to the right, the enormous shelf mushrooms across the cliff faces each the size of a house. Off in the distance to the left, there was deep water before a distant, lush mountain range. Standing in the deep water, Rose could see huge elephant-like creatures with no ears the size of whales, their long trunks swaying and fishing about in the water.

As they made their way down the cobblestone path that led between the hills ahead, Rose held out her hand. "Let me see that stone?" The Doctor handed it to her. The effect was immediate, and he noticed.

"What is it?"

Rose frowned as she stopped for a moment, considering. "It's...familiar somehow, I dunno. The feeling I get."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "I can feel its energy, it's Aetheric power. That's what you're feeling?"

"I guess, I dunno." Rose began to walk again, but she held onto the stone and eventually pocketed it.

Half an hour into their walk, they entered the shaded pass between the hills. Birds sang from normal-looking trees, and green grass grew up around the pathway. It was a rather pleasant walk, Rose had to admit. As they exited the pass, a hilly valley spread before them dotted with green, leafy trees, and high in the distance, a waterfall spilled down the side of a mountain.

"Do you think this is why we were meant to come to Verteron?" Rose asked. "Just to find a lost son? Or is this distracting us from what we're supposed to do?"

The Doctor was reading his tome as they walked, occasionally stretching his hand out as if practicing. "Who can say, just yet," he said, obviously distracted.

"Do you think we have a choice, though?" Rose went on, knowing the hopelessness she felt was coming out in her voice.

"We always have a choice," he replied readily. When Rose was quiet, he looked at her and dropped his hand. "The circumstances that present themselves, we can't control them, but we can control how we respond to them. We try to do what feels right."

Rose kicked a rock, now feeling glum. "So, in the end, there is no choice."

It was the Doctor's turn to say nothing, so Rose looked at him. He was studying her with concern. "Do you feel any regrets, Rose?"

She thought about this, and finally shrugged. "No, not really."

He smiled at her. "There you go, then. You're doing it right." As they passed a couple of posts of a broken fence, the Doctor cast out his hand. A spark flared to life against the wood, leaving a charred mark and a wisp of smoke to trail up into the air. "Hah!" he shouted in victory. "Did you see that?"

Despite her heavy thoughts, Rose grinned happily for him, imagining the unique ways this world could present itself as a magical playground for him. "A regular Harry Potter, you are."

They passed a signpost an hour into their walk. The sign pointing left down a dirt footpath read "Belbua's Farm," and the one pointing straight up the cobblestones read "Tolbas Village." As they continued on the road, they came to a crest in the hill and could see a dirt path down the way to the right that disappeared into a thicket of trees at the foot of the mountains.

At the crossing just off the road, Rose spotted a man lying on the ground, surrounded by what looked like three wolves.

"Oh my God," Rose said and pointed. "We've got to save him!"

"Careful down the hill!" the Doctor warned as he ran ahead. She could see the sonic screwdriver was already in his hand as she followed. As they approached, the worgs looked up from the man in surprise at the two people running towards them. One turned and growled.

"Get out of here!" the Doctor growled back, but they didn't seem phased by his warning. He slowed into a steady walk, aimed the sonic screwdriver at them, and Rose could barely perceive the high sound that issued forth.

The ears of the worgs immediately drew back and they visibly flinched, as if from a physical blow. There were yelps as all three bolted away, towards the forest.

Rose hurried towards the man as the Doctor kept his sonic pointed towards the worgs. Blood-soaked shreds were all that was left of the man's sleeve of his right forearm, and he was breathing quickly. She could tell right away that he wasn't young enough to be Tarphonian. Rose immediately gripped his upper arm just above his elbow with both hands, attempting to slow the bleeding. He cried out in panicked pain, and Rose tried to think of what the Doctor would do.

"What's your name?" she asked him.

"Wh-what? Um...Delsius."

Rose wasn't sure what to ask him next, or even what she should do. "What...what happened, Delsius?"

"Worgs attacked me, that's what!" he yelled. "I was gathering ruko," he went on, subconsciously pulling at the traveling bag next to him with his other hand. A white, cottony substance had partly spilled out of it, and Rose could see spots of blood across the fibres. "They just came at me from nowhere!"

The Doctor approached. "The worgs won't be coming back."

As Rose gripped into Delsius' arm, she tried to think of what the people of this world would do. They had priests, healers. They used magic. She remembered what the Doctor had her try to do to use magic, the shifting of Aether to her hands. She also remembered the familiar feel of that healing stone she had held in her hands, almost as if she had used something like it before.

There was suddenly a green glow that seemed to emanate from beneath her hands. Startled, Rose drew back, and it was gone.

The Doctor's voice was of caution and surprise. "Rose...?"

"You're a priest!" Delsius announced joyously, desperately. "Oh, thank Aion! Heal me, please!"

Rose looked to the Doctor in alarm. His eyes were shining, and a slow smile of happy disbelief spread over his face. "Go on, then!"

"I..." Rose looked back to Delsius, back to the fresh blood that oozed from his wounds now that she had let go of him. "I don't know how..."

"You were _doing_ it, Rose!" the Doctor encouraged as he dropped to a crouch beside her. "Do it again, come on!"

Rose didn't know _what_ she had been doing, but she could at least slow the bleeding again. Taking his arm again in a tight grip, Rose decided there was nothing else for it but to try to do what she did before, whether it worked or not. She concentrated on the same line of thinking as before. Her heart was pounding in fear as everyone was focused on her performance, thoughts of actually doing what they told her to do and not being able to do it at all both scaring her to death.

At first there was nothing, but slowly the glow eventually returned. Instead of backing away this time, Rose's hope soared that she could make a difference and tried all the harder. The glow brightened considerably, and Rose could see tiny green particles in the air, their movements reminding Rose of the healing nanogenes of a Chula ambulance. They seemed to move in tiny currents almost intentionally, and then Rose suddenly realised that she was _directing_ them.

Not only did Rose have to keep focusing on directing the Aether to her hands to keep the glow bright, she simultaneously had to focus beyond her hands, towards the wounds on Delsius' arm. The particles drew together and coalesced blue, flowing like water around his forearm. The now blue glow flashed so brightly that Rose had to close her eyes, but she kept on until she could sustain it no longer.

Blinking her eyes open, Rose could see white skin underneath his sleeve. Gingerly, she pried her hands from the man's arm.

Delsius picked the bloodied shreds of his sleeve away from his arm. There was no trace of bleeding, wounds, or even scars of any kind. He looked up at her gratefully. "Thank you!" Rose backed away as he grabbed his gathering bag and stood. "I'm going right back to Tolbas and staying there. It's not safe on this road." He looked to Rose, and then to the Doctor expectantly. "Will you be going, too?"

Rose also looked to the Doctor, and she was surprised to see him looking right back at her, grinning broadly. She smiled back, still not quite believing what she had done.

"Yes, we're going that way," the Doctor finally answered. His smile faded, but Rose was left with one of his very most intense of gazes, like he was about to pounce and eat her, and she found herself squirming.

Delsius eagerly took the lead, and they fell into step behind him.

Rose bit her lip and glanced at the Doctor. She wanted to bounce and squeal excitedly that she had done it, that the whole experience was amazing and fantastic. He was uncharacteristically speechless, however, and he kept looking at her in that same odd and thrilling way. "What are you thinking?" she finally asked, knowing that Delsius could hear.

The Doctor finally looked ahead at Delsius and bent down, as close as he could to her as they were walking. "Right now, I can't _say _what I'm thinking," he murmured quietly with enamoured inflection.

Even though his words said little, the _way _the Doctor said them carried all the meaning Rose needed to find herself fighting the heated blush that ran through her.


	9. Tolbas

Chimneys expelling lazy trails of smoke could be seen above the hill ahead, and the waterfall that tumbled down the once distant cliff was closer. About two hours into their journey, they crested the last rise.

The village of Tolbas was nestled among the green and yellow trees and hills of Verteron. The cobblestone path forked, winding through the centre of the village to the right and climbing left up a hill along two buildings. Rose recognised the far one as a Priest hall, with white and tall column frontage. It stood out from the more humble buildings that resembled those of Verteron Citadel. Some buildings connected several of the little cylindrical towers topped by round dome roofs. The waterfall spilled into a pool just beyond a water tower at the far end of the village to the right.

Directly before them along the road, what could have once been a humble fence was now clearly a barricade, the thorny vine as thick as the fence beams themselves spiraling its length. Rose wondered if it had somehow grown that way, or if it had been encouraged by some sort of magic.

As they descended the hill, Rose heard animal grunts from the pasture to their left, and Rose could see someone caring for several pigs near a shack. Birds sang from the trees, and two children chased down the hill between the houses. Rose shared a smile with the Doctor at the quaint little village.

They passed several sentries at the barricade. Delsius led them down the path to the right through the centre of the village.

"Have you heard of a young man named Tarphonian, Delsius?" the Doctor asked.

Delsius half-turned, listening. "I'm not familiar with him."

"His father Golben says he came out to Tolbas from Verteron Citadel yesterday morning and was supposed to be back by nightfall, but never returned."

"Well, I suppose he could have been attacked on the road by worgs like I was."

"That's what Golben feared had happened," the Doctor said. "We've come from the Citadel and haven't seen any sign of him." He thought a moment. "Apparently he's a bit of an adventurer. Perhaps he left the road."

"Adventurer, you say?" Delsius said. "Well, if he was stupid, he could have found trouble at the Dukaki Mine." He pointed ahead to the north, beyond the village.

"Trouble?" Rose said. "What sort of trouble?"

"Well it's Kobolds, isn't it?" Delsius announced. "The Dukaki tribe. Nasty creatures, always attacking us from the north. As if the thieves raiding us from the west weren't enough."

"Kobolds," the Doctor echoed, amused. "Why am I not surprised?"

Delsius eyed him. "So, you've had a run in with them before, have you? Well then you know how they can be. I've heard they made the place a wasteland up there."

As far as Rose knew, the term "kobold" was some sort of monster from myth. She would have to ask what the Doctor meant later. "What are they mining?"

"Odium. It's in the high ground. There's Aether in it, but I don't know how they expect to use it. I guess they've worked out how to extract it, otherwise there wouldn't be a party, would there?"

They began up the hill to the right, off the path towards a couple of houses. Rose frowned. "But..." She looked to the Doctor, wondering if he shared the same confusion about what they had come to believe, but she couldn't read his expression. "Sorry, but Aether's in everything, isn't it?"

Delsius looked at her as if she were daft. "Well, yeah, but you can't get to it, can you? It's like..." He looked around, and suddenly he pointed to a short man in a chef's hat at a table and chairs set out in the grass between the two houses. "Oi, Eradis! You'd be proud of me." They approached, and Rose was surprised to find he was only about three and a half feet tall. His ears were long and pointed, too. "Aether, it's like it's baked into everything, wouldn't you say? But in Odium, it's like a raw ingredient."

"I like that," Eradis replied, smiling a big smile for a little face. "Aether's baked into everything, yeah. But I don't know anything about Odium."

"Delsius!" A woman's voice exclaimed in concern from behind them, and they turned. A dark-eyed woman with blonde hair that ended in ringlets at her chest hurried towards them. She wore a flattering reddish-brown tunic and purple leggings. "Your arm! What happened?"

"Attacked by worgs, wasn't I?" Delsius gestured to Rose. "My new friends here rescued me, and this woman healed me up. She's a Priest." Rose wasn't sure what she thought of her new given title. Delsius turned to them properly. "Friends, meet Nemia. Her husband Hianu is out on his research in the forest, but they've both kindly offered me board. And you've met Eradis there already. I never did ask your names!"

"Rose," she replied. She reached for the Doctor's hand, and their hands swung gently as he smiled at her. "And this is the Doctor."

Nemia peered at the Doctor. "Doctor?" She then looked at Rose. "But, you healed Delsius. Are you an apprentice of his?"

Rose bit her lip, the Doctor usually being difficult enough to explain without this new circumstance. Fortunately, the Doctor stepped in.

"Oh, they don't really have anything to do with each other. It's...a different sort of thing. Like..." The Doctor's voice caught on a held breath as he pondered. "Well, Rose heals people..."he eyed her up and down, his eyes softening, "...apparently." He then returned his eyes to Nemia. "I'm more of your husband's line of work."

Nemia's eyebrows rose in understanding. "Ah, I see! Well, thank you so much for helping Delsius."

"Indeed!" piped in Eradis. "Please, will you stay for supper? I will make us all fried tog tonight!"

"We'd love to stay," the Doctor began, "but we're here to find Tarphonian. He's gone missing."

"Eradis is an amazing cook," Delsius insisted. "If you have a journey ahead of you, surely you—"

"Missing?" Eradis interrupted. "Well, I hear word the Kobolds carried someone off last night. It could have been him."

"What?" Delsius exclaimed. "When did this happen?"

"While you were out gathering this morning, I heard from Lusis as he stopped by on his rounds."

"Oh my..." Nemia breathed. "I've heard of them stealing supplies, but never people. What would they want him for?"

Rose found everyone to be looking at the Doctor, and she did the same. He shrugged.

"As far as we know, he's just a worried civilian's son from Verteron Citadel."

There was quiet as no one said anything. "Well," Rose inserted, "we've got to rescue him, obviously." She looked to the Doctor, and he gave her a small, proud smile.

"The Watch already knows, if Eradis heard from Lusis," Delsius said. "The Watch won't leave the village. They'll defend it with their dying breaths, but they're not mad."

Rose opened her mouth to correct Delsius, that she had meant the Doctor and she would rescue Tarphonian, but she hesitated as his last words would then label the two of them mad in his eyes. This wasn't really anything new, she admitted, so she told him anyway.

"You can't go up the Mine!" Delsius exclaimed. "I mean, you're both brave and all, chasing off those worgs, and I know you're a Priest, but neither of you look like fighting material. Even then, it would be highly dangerous and you probably wouldn't come back alive. Lusis would tell you the same thing!"

"He's right," Nemia agreed. "Only a Daeva would dare go up there."

The sound of a barking dog made Rose look south, past the outermost house and up the hill along the pathway they had come into the village. A woman was running full pelt towards them, followed by a small but heavy dog. Or, was it a dog?

The merchant in front of the house fell back against his door as they ran past, jostling his wares on a carpet as he did so. The woman wielded a long bo staff expertly out from her body as she ran, and Rose could now see the dog thing was bloodied and angry.

Rose moved to rush out of their way when the woman stopped before them, turned, and brought the end of the staff down on the beast's head with blinding force, killing it instantly at her feet.

The woman turned, catching her breath and smiling. She had fiery red hair and brown eyes, wore a full outfit of beautiful silver-white chain mail (if Rose could call it full, as the skirt only came down mid-thigh), was slightly taller than Rose and was clearly fit and confident. She turned to Eradis and pointed down at the dead animal.

"How much you want for the dead tog?"

Rose took a better look at it. It was a dark brown and its face looked like a bulldog's, but it was wide in body, had a short mane down its back, and its feet were somewhat hoofed.

Eradis grinned. "I was about to empty my stock for dinner, but fresh would be even better!" While he offered a price to her, Rose whispered to the Doctor.

"They eat dog?"

The Doctor made an indecisive face. "More like boar?"

"He offered us dog boar for dinner," she stated.

The Doctor merely stared at the animal as the woman picked it up by the leg and dragged it towards Eradis, not offering Rose any more argument.

"Oh, but this is wonderful!" Nemia said. "You needed a Daeva to help you, and here one is!"

"What about me?" the dog-killer looked over at them, as if she had heard her name.

"A man's been taken north into the Dukaki Mine," the Doctor said. "Can you help us?"

Rose looked at her again. How were people able to tell who were Daevas and who were not? Rose had to admit that she had a certain glow about her. Was that it, or perhaps the way she fought? Rose remembered the way Raegis looked, the air of confidence about him and the power she felt when he had been close to her, and he certainly had looked ready for battle. Or perhaps it was just something she had not been around all her life like these people had, a subtlety she had not been bred to recognise.

"I'm on my way into the Mine," she said, turning fully towards them. "On an important mission for Brigade General Spatalos. I could look for him while I'm there."

"Great!" Rose grinned. "Although..." She glanced to the Doctor again, but she didn't really need to ask. "Could we go with you? The Doctor here, and me. I'm Rose."

"Shasa," she replied, looking Rose up and down, then the Doctor. She hesitated, but then shrugged. "Makes no difference to me. I could use a hand, if you're battle-worthy. What classes are you?"

"We're not really..." the Doctor began.

"Rose is a Priest," Delsius supplied helpfully.

Shasa looked pleased. "Really? Don't look much like one, though. I'm a Chanter, too. Or are you a Cleric?"

Rose stared open-mouthed at her, completely unsure of how to answer. "Um..."

"Rather new to her skills, so I wouldn't depend on them," the Doctor provided. He quickly checked with Rose. "No offense."

Shasa focused on the Doctor. "And you, then?"

"Just...a bit of fire." The Doctor raised his hand, where a flame flashed to life and then burned away in less than a second, as if he had done it a thousand times, which Rose knew he hadn't. Delsius jumped at the unexpected fire so near to him then scowled. "It's not my strength either, though. We're not interested in fighting our way in."

Shasa frowned. "Well then, how do you expect to get in?"

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Quietly?"

The Daeva laughed. "Like a proper Assassin. Go on, you studied the wrong class, Mage."

Rose thought Shasa was much too eager to fight for her tastes, and she found herself wishing Raegis were along with them. Shasa seemed to think the methods of his class would be more their style, anyway. Rose also was a little disappointed, having thought their newly discovered magic quite a thrilling accomplishment. Until Shasa came along, that is.

The Doctor sighed. "Are you in or not? We're going either way."

Shasa looked him over critically again. "All right, but since we clearly don't have enough leather between us, we go at night. It's the only way we could expect to not be seen." She gestured to the south. "I've got other business in the forest I can do until nightfall."

Rose frowned to herself as Nemia addressed Shasa, asking her something about delivering a meal to her husband while she was out that way. Rose looked up at the Doctor. "What if tonight is too late?"

"It will have to do." He nodded to the Daeva as he drew closer to Rose. "She's right. If the Dukaki Mine is as dangerous as they're all saying, we can't take chances if we're not ready for a fight. Unless we let Shasa go in now by herself and slaughter everyone."

Rose looked towards Shasa, who had returned to Eradis to finish up business with the tog. "I don't trust she cares too much about Tarphonian, like she'll simply keep her eye out on her way through." She pondered a moment before turning back to the Doctor. "I think it's best we go, too."

"It will still be dangerous," the Doctor said gravely.

Rose grinned alluringly at him and took his hand, swaying a bit. "Yeah, but you and me, that's what we do, isn't it? Besides...where would we be if I let a little danger a long time ago stand in the way of saving one person's life?" She squeezed his hand for emphasis.

A slow smile crept over his face. "Rose Tyler, I'd be lost without you."

"Yeah, you would." She kept up her cheeky grin.

"Eradis!" the Doctor called loudly, and everyone turned. "Don't sell off all that tog." He grinned. "We'll be staying for supper after all."

-^^-W-^^-

While Shasa ran off towards the south as she had planned, the Doctor and Rose decided the best thing they could do to help was to ask around the village if anyone knew of Tarphonian's whereabouts. It was still possible he hadn't been the one abducted and taken to the Dukaki Mine. Even though their goal was a serious one, they greatly enjoyed wandering through the quaint village through the afternoon. If there was one thing the Doctor and Rose were good at, it was balancing work and pleasure.

Even if the reported missing person from Tolbas wasn't Tarphonian but someone else, they of course were concerned for that person, but they weren't exactly inclined in the same way. They still had to find Tarphonian, and had even assured his father that they would look for him. If they found a clue that the young man had gone somewhere else, they would follow that trail and would give up the abducted person as a Daeva's work.

No one in the village could give them any more information, however, and only Lusis and his friend Beris, both members of the Watch, knew anything. Beris had been the one to overhear the confrontation in the cover of night, and by the time he had followed the fleeing Kobold raiding party, they were too far up the hill for Beris to dare follow.

This time, they would use the cover of night against them.

Delsius and Nemia pulled up a couple more chairs to the table outside, and the four of them were treated to Eradis' meal of fried tog and mela juice, which Rose identified as pork and apple juice. Eradis insisted the tog would help the Doctor's magical accuracy, which he didn't bother to argue about even needing. Shasa joined them as well, and when Nemia got up to get another chair, Shasa assured her there was no need. She simply waved her hand at the ground. A chair appeared out of thin air, and she sat on it as if it were the obvious simple solution.

After a hearty meal, they stayed at the table to let their food settle as Shasa told the Doctor and Rose a little of what to expect.

"Let me go first. If a scout spots us, I'd rather take an arrow than either of you. They've rendered the place quite barren, so there's not a lot of foliage to use as cover, but there's not a lot to accidentally trod on to make noise, either. Just step quietly while their backs are turned and keep your distance, and we should be fine."

They set out at dusk. Beris sent them off at the north gate, wishing them Aion's blessings. They crossed a little bridge over a stream, and Rose could hear the roar of the waterfall as it splashed down the mountain's edge to the east.

"So, Rose," the Doctor began as they began to climb the hill. "You think you're a Chanter like Shasa?"

Rose made a face. "Not exactly keen on hitting things with sticks."

The Doctor chuckled. "A Cleric, then. A more defensive role fits you, I think."

As they reached the top of the hill, they could see two tall statues to either side of the path, each supporting a blazing fire on top. Next to the one on the left, the firelight splashed across a red banner atop a spiked pole, white feathers dangling from chains to either side.

"Rough place," the Doctor mused.

As soon as they passed the torches, the grass disappeared. Nothing but dead bushes and trees dotted the otherwise yellow brown dust, and even at this hour, the hot air could be seen rising from the ground.

"You weren't kidding about it being barren," Rose observed. "Is it going to get any darker than this? I feel like they could easily still see us."

Shasa looked back quizzically at Rose. "Darker? What do you think this is, Asmodae?"

The Doctor drew close as Shasa led on. "Light half of the world, remember. I imagine their eyesight isn't as well adapted as yours as you're used to darker nights than this." Rose nodded, finding comfort in his words.

The road was quite wide, although it wasn't very discernible from the lack of anything around it. The land was slightly hilly, and Rose watched to either side as they walked, using what she hoped to be her superior eyesight to spot anyone who could be peering over the edge at them.

In the distance, Rose could see movement. "There!" she pointed.

Shasa looked, but was unconcerned. "They can't tell what you are unless you get close. Just walk like everything's normal, and don't draw attention to yourself."

More distant figures could be seen as they went on, and Rose tried to stay calm. "How much further?" Rose asked quietly.

"Until what?" Shasa replied.

"Until we reach the Mine."

Shasa gestured expansively to the left. "This is it."

Rose looked, confused. All she could see were the same barren hills and the distant activity. "It's not a cave?"

"No, the Odium is straight down, just under the surface, just over those hills. Mostly at the base of that mountain. I suppose eventually they'll dig far enough to make a cave." Shasa suddenly went silent and darted to the left, behind the trunk of a small tree and dry brush. There was something walking towards them on the road ahead. Rose felt the Doctor's hand take her by the arm and pull her towards the hiding place.

Rose had to crouch down low behind the brush, unable to get very close to it as its dead twigs snapped noisily if she touched them, and there wasn't any room left behind the tree where Shasa stood alert and ready. The Doctor dropped down almost completely prone. They waited, attempting to stay quiet as the figure approached.

Peering through the brush, Rose got a glimpse of the Kobold as it walked past them along the road. It was no taller than Eradis, but twice as wide. It waddled from side to side on what had to be short legs underneath a rawhide skirt or loincloth, the white of its portly belly and muscular arms shining in the Elysean night. The crossbow looked enormous lain across its shoulder, and the quiver at its back almost dragged along the ground.

No...perhaps it was female, Rose thought. Strapless leather cups in front were secured around the back, and Rose could see her bosom bobbing in time with her ungainly gait. Her helmet resembled a glorified can with spikes along its edge, completely concealing her head.

After she had gone a short distance behind them, Shasa silently moved from the tree and resumed walking the road. The Doctor and Rose took their cue and followed as quietly as they could, Rose feeling anxious that they had not waited long enough before emerging. Sure enough, though, as they walked casually, the Dukaki Kobold didn't take notice of them at all.

Two permanent round tents supported by wooden stakes loomed ahead to the right, and the road banked to the left. Rose was sure the light of the campfires wouldn't be near enough to give them away, and if anything it would foul the Kobolds' night vision further. They kept on, Rose listening for any sounds that could indicate Tarphonian's location.

"What if he's in one of those tents?" Rose asked the Doctor.

"Until we've looked everywhere else, I dare not get us closer. There's no way to check inside without them seeing us."

A valley opened up to the south, and Rose could see the silhouettes of the forested mountains in the distance. It seemed they were walking the southern rim of the Mine. To the left, a high wooden wall of vertical poles supported higher ground, probably from erosion. Dukaki could be seen at its base moving about in the dark, but none were close enough to pay them any attention.

Ahead, a barricade of sharpened poles blocked the way up a hill. A large figure stood in front of it wielding a massive cleaver of a blade. Its skin was dark, its head hunched forward to the point of appearing headless at the right angle. Rose could see the glint off its massive armoured shoulders, and even though it appeared to be as tall as the Doctor, it was easily ten times the Doctor's weight.

"That's one hell of a Kobold," Rose whispered.

"That's not a Kobold," Shasa said. "That's a Krall. The Dukaki are their slaves."

The Doctor and Rose shared a look. They didn't doubt it.

There was no way they could get past that monster, not with the Krall to the right of the path and the pile of rock to the left. Shasa walked towards the rocks casually and leaned up against them, watching the Krall. When it looked away, she quickly hopped up and scaled the rocks. The Doctor gave Rose a leg up, and she quickly gave him a hand down, hoping they wouldn't be seen.

Their way was slowed when they reached treacherous footing at a crevice between the two large boulders, and Rose looked back over her shoulder. She could clearly see the Krall, but she hoped they were enough in the shadows between the rocks to not be seen.

The rocks were noisy. When Rose hesitated, Shasa waved her forward. "Come on. Krall breathe too loud to hear you from here anyway."

Rose resumed her crunching of rocks. "And you said this place was dangerous? So far, they seem stupid, blind and deaf."

"It is dangerous, to idiots, and I'm still not sure about you two."

Rose glared at Shasa. "Rude much?" she shot back, hackles rising.

"What I mean is, you're mortal. Tip one of them off, and you've got the whole place mobbing you. You're dead, and you're not coming back. I'd be stupid, too, if I couldn't just come back and try again." Shasa seemed truly sorry for her harsh words. "For what it's worth...you're both surprisingly stealthy. Like I said, you would make an Assassin proud."

"Thanks, I think," Rose replied, still not quite happy with Shasa.

They climbed off the rocks on the other side, crouching down in the dust at the base of a steep incline. There were Dukaki standing around everywhere.

"The Dukaki Settlement," Shasa whispered.

Rose peered at her. "Yeah? We're past the Mine?"

"We are. I know this is where they live, but other than that, I have no idea what's beyond here." Shasa glanced at both of them, then peered into the night ahead of them. "I've never gone this far before. Full of trouble, I'm sure."

"Oh, perfect," Rose said, her light tone betraying her apprehension. "Then we're no doubt going the right way."


	10. Krall

Rose wasn't sure what to do. There were Kobolds in every direction before them, too close together to sneak by. The rocks were behind them, so they couldn't go around. Shasa appeared indecisive, too, probably thinking on which Dukaki she could slay quickly without alerting the others so they could pass.

It was then Rose heard a small noise behind her. She turned to find the Doctor quietly picking up a rock. With a powerful overhand swing, the Doctor flung the rock over the hill to the left. The startling noise immediately caught the attention of the Kobolds at the base of the hill, as well as the one directly ahead. They ran over the hill with short scurrying legs and waved their weapons, leaving the path along the base of the hill clear ahead.

Shasa looked back at the Doctor with a raised eyebrow then led them forward, quick and quiet. Once over the rise, Rose spotted a small fenced area close by to the left, but the two standing there were looking the other direction towards the commotion. They kept on, with Shasa leading the way.

There was a building ahead with a Krall standing near, so they were forced to drop down to the right onto the pathway, which was probably the same one they abandoned to climb the rocks. Rose stopped just short of running into Shasa as she slowed back to a casual walk, and Rose did her best to imitate her.

Up ahead, a ramp led up from the path onto a small hill with a flattened top. The mountainside appeared to rise up around the back, protecting it. If the seamless half-circle white arch over the top of the ramp hadn't been so large, Rose would say it was made of bone. She supposed it could be two dead tree trunks bent over and somehow fused in the middle, but that seemed even less likely than the remains of some huge beast.

"Looks important," the Doctor whispered softly from behind her.

It also looked impenetrable, other than the front door. Sharpened poles the size of trees lay up the steep hill on all sides. Rose saw no way up other than the ramp itself.

To her surprise, Shasa walked casually up the ramp. As they were out in the open with nowhere to hide, Rose saw no choice but to follow her, growing more nervous as she heard voices ahead. Just before passing under the arch and coming into view, Shasa sidestepped to the right edge of the ramp. The embankment was built up just enough to support the tree arch for them to step behind it, and Rose breathed a sigh of relief.

"Shasa, I'm impressed," the Doctor murmured appreciatively. "You do this sort of thing often?"

"Occasionally, when a human averse to killing joins my party," Shasa replied.

In the dark, the spiked outer fence that ran along the hillside from the archway to the mountainside looked to be made of giant teeth, points up. She wasn't really sure what the fence was for, since they could easily walk between them. It looked menacing, which was perhaps reason enough.

Careful to watch her footing, Rose followed Shasa along the fence away from the ramp, around the perimeter. Inside the camp was a pair of benches around a long wooden table and a pot hanging over a fire just beyond it. A proper wooden fence backed up to the spiked fence, which appeared to be a pen for a few pigs. The Kobold attending them was facing away. Shasa ducked down where the two fences joined, hidden from view by a couple of barrels, and the Doctor and Rose joined her there, finally resting long enough to take a proper look around.

The first thing Rose took in was how many people there were. There were four small Kobolds spread about, but there were four large Krall towards the back, one of them standing near a hut. The other three were clumped together around what Rose determined to be some sort of shrine. On either side of the shrine stood a wall formed of wooden poles, each one spiked at the top through a bone. Two poles much larger than the rest supported a diamond-shaped skin with a red swirly symbol in its center. Both poles were topped with a tribal mask design, each "ear" dangling with white feathers.

The significance of what the feathers represented suddenly came to Rose. Were they meant to look like feathers from a Daeva's wing?

Or worse, _were _they feathers from a Daeva's wing?

Rose was about to ask Shasa, but the Doctor pointed towards the shrine, and Rose had to peer over the barrels to look. By the light of the two burning braziers at the foot of each pole, before the hanging skin, one of the Krall moved, and Rose could now see a young man tied to a stake in the ground.

"Tarphonian?" Rose whispered.

"Could be," the Doctor whispered back.

"What are they doing with him?" She asked of the Doctor, but she looked to Shasa, thinking the Daeva knew more about the Krall than either of them.

"Don't know...but this very well could be what Brigade General Spatalos sent me to investigate," Shasa said, now seeming very interested in where she had been leading the Doctor and Rose.

"Tursin bring human!" one of the Krall in draped leather and fur shouted, raising its arms towards the shrine. "Human new, but human strong. Strong blood for master's work!"

Rose drew close to the Doctor to whisper. "They're going to sacrifice him or something!"

"Sounds like it," the Doctor agreed. He directed a whisper towards Shasa. "Who are the Krall's masters?"

Shasa drew her eyes from the proceedings to look at the Doctor and frowned. "I didn't know they had masters. Why?"

The Doctor nodded towards the Krall. "Shaman boy says he needs human blood for the master's work."

Shasa's eyes widened and she hissed, "You understand Krall?"

Rose bit her lip and looked to the Doctor for his response. The Krall began speaking again, so the Doctor held up a finger, and he and Rose listened.

"Tursin lowest of Krall servants, but Tursin loyal. Tursin bring human. Strong blood bring future masters to human land, Krall land!"

Rose caught the glint of metal in the weak light, and she could now see a curved blade in the Krall's hand.

"That's not a shrine at all," Rose breathed.

The Doctor's disgust was clear in his tone. "It's an altar."

"We've got to free him," Rose insisted. "They're going to kill him."

"You two stay here," Shasa whispered before slinking further along the fence. She didn't get far before the Doctor caught her arm.

"What are you doing?" he hissed.

"Something that would be stupid for you two. I'm going to try to free him. If I get caught, at least you two can get away."

"They're all looking at the boy! How would you free him?"

"I'll think of something," Shasa assured him in annoyance. "Think of it this way. If I fail, you two can kill yourselves on a second attempt. Deal?"

The Doctor sighed and let go of her arm. Rose didn't see how they could help either with everyone looking at Tarphonian. While her mind raced trying to think of an idea, hoping that the Doctor was having better luck than she was, Shasa made it through the fence where it ended at the base of the mountainside, as far as she could go before following the rock wall.

Rose could see Shasa beyond the pig pen as she silently made her way towards the wall of poles. If any of the Kobolds or Krall had been looking her way, they might have seen her, but no one seemed to be looking outside the range of the firelight within the camp itself.

Shasa disappeared behind the poles. Rose's eyes skipped ahead towards the other end of the wall, expecting to see Shasa directly beneath the hanging skin next. She couldn't, though! Shasa would be in plain sight there. Rose barely caught sight of Shasa peeking out from where she had disappeared, looking directly at them and trying to get their attention.

Rose tapped the Doctor's shoulder and pointed. When he looked towards Shasa, the Daeva made a throwing motion, then pointed towards the archway. When Rose looked up at the Doctor, she could see a grin on his face, and he nodded.

"Oh, God," Rose mumbled nervously.

The Doctor picked up a rock and waited a moment after Shasa had disappeared behind the wall. Rose could only watch as he then hurled the rock as hard as he could toward the arch. She couldn't see where it landed, but she heard it knock about in the shadows on the far end.

The Krall stopped speaking, and everyone turned towards the sound. The Kobold and Krall standing nearest the arch moved towards it, and the others watched them call out towards the sound, probably expecting a response. Rose looked back towards the shrine. One of the Krall moved a few steps towards the sound, but the other two stayed where they were, waiting for their guards to investigate.

The Doctor bent down again, this time throwing three rocks in quick succession towards the ramp. Rose grinned as it effectively simulated someone leaving in a hurry through the darkness.

The Krall guard yelled, and he and the little Kobold ran towards the ramp. Rose looked to see all three of the Krall step away from Tarphonian, trying to get a better look. Sure enough, that's when Shasa darted past the brazier and approached Tarphonian from behind.

Rose's blood pounded in her ears in anticipation, silently hoping the Krall wouldn't notice her. Tarphonian did, however, and turned in surprise as Shasa freed his hands from the stake. He immediately turned to follow Shasa back behind the wall. That's when Rose's blood ran cold as the Krall nearest the shrine roared and pointed at them.

The Doctor stood up straight, and Rose stood with him to get a better look as Shasa and Tarphonian fled behind the wall. Everyone in the camp either followed or ran towards the other end of the wall. One Kobold stopped and aimed its crossbow. There was no way Shasa and Tarphonian could get past them.

Rose feared for both of them, but she told herself she didn't have to worry about Shasa, as she was immortal. Tarphonian, though...what if he was killed in the crossfire?

Shasa emerged and immediately stopped dead when she saw enemies closing in. She whipped out her bo staff and began chanting. A blue aura glowed in the air around her, brighter specks alighting on her and Tarphonian. Shasa yelled and swung towards one of the Krall, engaging him in melee combat, while two others and a Kobold closed in on her flank.

"There's too many!" Rose cried.

The Doctor's response was immediate. Rose watched him in alarm as he dashed between the spiked fence and leapt over the pen towards the fight. He intended to help, Rose realised. There was nothing else for it, now. It was all or none of them.

As Rose ran after the Doctor (deciding to run the length of the pen instead of over it) she reined in her fear and put her mind to task. She wasn't a fighter, but she had healed before. Focusing on accessing her command of Aether, Rose tried to ignore the little voice screaming that she hardly knew what she was doing. Direct the flow to your hands first. See if you can _project_ that healing power as Shasa does.

Rose raised her hands in front of her. As the Doctor stopped a short distance ahead of her, she tried to concentrate on what she was doing instead of what he was doing. As her hands began to glow blue, Rose felt a surge of hope and looked past them. An arrow hit Shasa and she cried out in pain, but as Rose watched, the arrow fell away, and Shasa's own healing magic glowed brightly where it had struck.

Rose didn't pretend to know about the properties of magic, but she didn't know what else to do. Rose focused on Shasa as her target, attempting to mirror what she had done for Delsius. One of the Krall landed a blow with its staff across Shasa's back. It clearly caused her pain, but she kept fighting, clearly conditioned to battle.

Glowing blue magic flowed across Shasa's graceful form as she swung her staff with lightning speed, and Rose recognised it as her magic, not Shasa's. Rose was healing her from the hit she had just taken!

There was a garbled cry from the center of the camp from one of the approaching guards that had been catching up. It was looking at Rose, and now it began to run at her. As fear dropped in her gut, the blue glow faded from her hands, and Rose had no idea how to defend herself.

The Doctor shouted, but Rose didn't understand the words. A deep purple light caught her eye, and she looked to the Doctor's illuminated shape. The mist swirled around his feet as he reached down with his right hand, his open book in his left. As he lifted his hand in a quick motion, the energy in his hand glowed a bright violet.

Rose jumped, startled as a sudden wind swirled violently around every Krall and Kobold. It picked up dust and rocks, but the wind dissipated as quickly as it had come. The rocks dropped and the dust puffed out from their targets in the following silence.

Rose could only hear her heavy breathing and stared in confusion. Each and every enemy was standing still, their heads hung, as if they were sleeping in place. One actually snored.

"They won't be dazed for long," the Doctor said as he snapped his book shut, his voice unusually unsteady. Rose could sense his deep fear through their bond. Shasa and Tarphonian stood in shock as well. Finally, the Doctor looked to them and yelled, "_RUN!_"

Rose didn't need any further encouragement. She turned towards the ramp and bolted, the Doctor right behind her.

As she cleared the base of the ramp, she was surprised by white wings from above dropping Shasa in front of her from the air. Shasa hit the ground running, and Rose fell into step behind her.

Dukaki all around them took notice and began to chase them. Their only hope was to outrun them all the way out of their land. Pacing oneself while sprinting wasn't an easy thing to do, but if there was one thing Rose had gotten good at since meeting the Doctor, it was running.

Her faith in her capability was suddenly crushed when her legs caught and she fell face first into the hard ground. Tarphonian ran past, and the Doctor's feet landed in front of her face, having nearly tripped over her.

"Shasa!" he called desperately.

Shasa turned, and Rose gasped in pain and looked back at her feet. Thorny vines had sprung out of the ground and were winding themselves up her legs, slicing through her flesh.

"Help!" Rose cried.

A second later, a flash of energy collided with the vines, and they promptly shriveled away. The Doctor pulled Rose to her feet and encouraged her ahead of him, and she began to run again. She winced, momentarily dreading that her legs wouldn't carry her, but Shasa's healing magic immediately brought relief as it glowed from her wounds.

"Run ahead of me!" Shasa called back to them. "I'll draw them off!"

By now, Rose had no desire to argue and followed the road as Shasa fell back. They had come to the point they had originally rejoined the road, and the way ahead was unfamiliar until they rounded a fallen tree and she looked down the hill as it sloped to the right. In the distance, Rose could make out the spiked fence where they had seen the first Krall, where they had climbed the rocks into the Settlement.

They were almost to the Mine.

Rose chanced a look back. She could hear angry cries up the hill to the right. Shasa's silhouetted form and blue glow tore across the rise, followed by a mob of angry Kobolds and a couple of massive Krall. More ahead of her took notice and joined the chase as she ran past. Looking ahead of Shasa, Rose could see she was headed for the towering rock outcropping that jutted out over the wall that separated the Settlement and Mine.

She didn't have time to wonder what Shasa was doing. Kobolds on either side of the road yelled and began to chase them. While Rose had been looking back, the Doctor had taken the lead, and Tarphonian brought up the rear.

A Kobold that had seen them from ahead stopped as they passed, flinging its hand out. The Doctor leapt, and Rose could see vines spring out of the rocky ground and attempt to snag his feet. Rose darted to the side to avoid them herself, and an arrow whizzed past her head.

They jogged down the hill past the sharpened pole gate on the left and the rocks they had scaled on the right. That meant...

Rose looked to the side at the surprised face of the Krall standing guard. He roared and swiped at her, and she barely dodged his huge grip.

The Doctor was looking left, and Rose followed his eyes. The hill led down into the lush green canyon. Rose wondered if he was going to go that way, but he kept on, through the Dukaki Mine.

The road was mostly clear, and the Dukaki to either side were far enough away to fall behind ineffectually as long as they kept running, but close enough to notice the chase.

Rose couldn't see the road ahead of the Doctor clearly. He went to the left, and Rose noticed the path seemed to also fork to the right. She didn't remember this part on their way through the first time, but she would follow the Doctor whichever direction he chose.

The Kobolds ahead were a lot closer to the road.

The Doctor's right hand glowed a hot yellow orange. When he raised it, one of the Kobolds dropped its crossbow and screamed as a burning trail swirled around its body. He cast his hand out again, and this time a purple fireball shot forth. Another Kobold jumped clear as it splashed across the ground at its feet. He threw another, disrupting another Kobold from acquiring a shot.

One Kobold managed to fire its crossbow. The Doctor yelped and stumbled.

"Doctor!" Rose cried. As the Doctor twisted to the side and regained his footing, Rose almost stumbled herself when she saw the arrow protruding from his chest.

He kept on. Somehow, the Doctor kept running, but it didn't take long for Rose to see he couldn't maintain the same speed. Rose could only follow, knowing they couldn't stop for anything or be overwhelmed. She only wished there was something she could do.

Hold on, she _could_. She was a healer, wasn't she? It was difficult to concentrate while running, but Rose summoned what power she could and directed it towards the Doctor. The blue light wrapped around his torso in weak tendrils, but it was all Rose could manage, and the arrow remained.

Rose was attempting to keep her pace and heal the Doctor when her attention was suddenly drawn upwards. Shasa descended on gliding wings from nowhere and landed ahead of them. She took one look at the Doctor, and with a flick of her wrist, her healing magic enveloped him as they ran towards her, and the arrow fell away.

"Stay near me!" Shasa called back to them as she took the lead again. "If you can hear my mantra, you're close enough to be healed!" The blue aura around her returned as she began to chant. The Doctor, Rose, Shasa and Tarphonian made it through the first arch, turned left, and Rose could see the torches with white feathers ahead, marking the edge of the Dukaki territory.

-^^-W-^^-

"I thought you couldn't fly!" the Doctor complained between heavy panting. They jogged wearily down the grassy hill along the road down to Tolbas Village. The Kobolds had given up their chase, choosing to stay within their lands.

"I can't!" Shasa insisted, giving him a look as if he were daft. I can always glide, though." She grinned smugly. "They couldn't follow me off the cliff."

The Doctor made a face. "What's the difference?"

Shasa rolled her eyes and slowed them to a walk. "What I want to know is how you put all those Krall and Kobolds to sleep. I've only ever seen the most elite of sorcerers cast a spell like that."

The Doctor made a lethargic attempt to rub at the back of his head, then gave up. "I tend to do things a bit...accelerated."

"Tell me 'bout it," Rose added.

He lifted his book in his left hand. "I read how to force someone into a sleeping state on one of the last pages. It didn't seem difficult to make it work on several at once."

Shasa shook her head and kept walking, apparently not knowing what else to say.

"Speaking of accelerated," the Doctor began in a friendlier and sincere tone and put a hand to his chest, "Thank you for healing me."

"Thanks for not dying on me before I could get to you," Shasa replied simply.

"Thank you for saving my life, all of you," the fourth member of their party said, and they looked to him as they walked.

"Tarphonian?" Rose asked.

"Yes," he replied in surprise. "How do you know my name?"

"Your father, Golben, sent us to fetch you," the Doctor told him. "Now we know why you didn't make curfew."

They reached the bridge. A Watch member approached them, and the Doctor could see it was Lusis.

"You found him, then?" Lusis pointed. "You, you _are_ the one I saw taken last night! Welcome back, all of you!"

"I suggest you increase your defense of the village for the night. The Krall we rescued Tarphonian from aren't happy, and they may come looking for him, or someone to replace him."

Lusis nodded. "I'll notify the Watch immediately. Get some rest. We'll give a good shout if there's any trouble."

As Lusis ran off, Shasa looked to him. "What was it the Krall said?"

The Doctor gestured to Tarphonian as he began leading them into the village. "They wanted human blood to somehow 'bring future masters to human land'. The Krall called himself 'Tursin'."

"Tursin Krall, that's the name of the tribe."

The Doctor nodded as he processed this. "And whatever their masters are, the Tursin Krall view them as godly enough to sacrifice Tarphonian to them."

When the Doctor turned up the hill to the left, Shasa stopped. "I've got business to attend to. I'll catch you up in a minute."

"We'll be at Nemia's," the Doctor told her.

As Shasa left them, they made their way up the hill. The Doctor knocked on the door, and Delsius answered.

"You're back! And...you found him?"

"We did. Mind if we come in?"

"Please, please!" Delsius opened the door and stepped aside. "You look exhausted. I insist you stay the rest of the night. Is that all right, Nemia?"

The small house was little more than one room. Nemia was getting up from her bed and lighting a candle. "Of course it is! Don't you dare leave this house without a proper rest! Let me pull out the blankets."

As Nemia fussed about, Tarphonian collapsed against the wall. The Doctor turned to Delsius.

"Could you get Tarphonian something to eat? He hasn't exactly been treated well."

"Of course, yes." As he went to find something, Nemia brought them a bundle of linen before getting more for Tarphonian.

The Doctor set down the bundle where they were standing, on the stone floor near the wall where the room narrowed towards the doorway. He looked to Rose. "This all right? You want to sleep?"

Rose picked at the bundle. "Yeah, I'm about ready to sleep standing up." She smiled wearily. "Don't even need to be under a spell."

He grinned, and together they laid out the blankets and settled onto it where Rose began to take her shoes off. Delsius brought Tarphonian some bread and water, and Nemia directed him to sit on the bedding she had put out for him. The Doctor impulsively gathered Rose into a hug, and she hugged him back.

"I should never have taken you in there," he told her softly.

Rose gave him a squeeze. "I can't believe we made it out alive."

"That's what I mean. Rose, if something had happened to you..."

"I'm the one that saw you get shot with an arrow! I tried so hard to heal you, but we were moving so fast..."

It was his turn to squeeze Rose back. "I know. I felt it. It helped, it really did. You were amazing, Rose." His smile of appreciation faded. "I had to bypass my lungs for a bit. I can't believe I got shot." He fingered the small hole in his jacket. "And now...it's almost like it never happened."

"Healed by magic...good as new?" Rose asked, her large eyes full of concern. The Doctor smiled reassuringly.

"I feel just fine."

Rose nodded and sighed, then squinted and gushed in a harsh whisper, "I can't believe you were throwin' fire and magic everywhere! You're like a regular Harry Potter."

"Ooh, wait for it..." The Doctor dipped a hand into his jacket and produced his glasses, slipping them onto his face. "Snap."

Rose giggled. Her attention was drawn towards the doorway, and the Doctor turned to see Shasa.

"I have something for you," she said to Rose as she approached. The ringing of tiny metal chains accompanied movement as Shasa set down the pile in front of Rose. "My chain mail. I've just upgraded, do you like it?" Shasa stood and modeled the glinting armour in the candlelight.

"Oh my God, it's beautiful," Rose breathed. "And...you're just giving me the stuff you were wearing, really?" She looked down and picked up the silvery white tunic on top.

Shasa shrugged. "Yeah, what else am I going to do with it, sell it? I'd much rather have it keep you safe, since you insist on blundering into trouble with your mortal life at stake." She shook a finger at Rose. "Don't let me find this mail on your dead body at some Krall's feet."

There was silence for a moment, and the Doctor noticed Rose's eyes looked glassy. "I don't know what to say," she finally admitted.

"Say you'll be careful and stay alive."

"She won't be in a position like that again if I have anything to say about it," the Doctor assured Shasa as he pulled Rose into his arms.

"Hm. Well, just in case." Shasa knelt down before them, and the Doctor let go of Rose as she reached for Rose's hands. "Do you know how to cure?"

Rose looked confused. "You mean...heal?"

"No. Healing is restoring one's health. Curing is a type of Dispel that removes ailments or what's categorised as an altered state. Those vines that bound your feet, that's a type of snare. It doesn't damage you much, but it slows you down. The same cure works for most of those types of things. If the ailment is too strong, though, you may not be able to cure it without being a more experienced cleric." Shasa held Rose's hands for a moment. "Feel that?"

Rose sat still for a moment, then nodded. "Sort of...a bit tingly?"

"Yeah." Shasa let go and leaned back. Her hand glowed, and a pulse ran through Rose, causing her to shiver. "This is what it feels like. It doesn't do anything to you unless there is something to cure."

Rose nodded, looking interested despite her weariness. "Okay."

"Come." Shasa stood and moved to settle down at Tarphonian, and Rose got up and joined her.

The Doctor leaned his head against the wall and watched with a proud smile as Shasa put a hand to Tarphonian's forehead. Rose mimicked her movements, and they spoke quietly of wonders and magic. Finally, Shasa got up to leave, looking to the Doctor.

"I must tell Brigade General Spatalos what has happened. You should check in with him at the Citadel when you've rested."

The Doctor nodded. "Will you find Golben and tell him his son is safe with us? We'll return after he's up for the journey."

Shasa nodded. "I'll let him know. I recommend taking the flight transporter back. Much faster." She grinned. "I have eternity, but no time to walk anywhere."

They bid her farewell. Nemia blew the candle out, and everyone settled down to sleep. The Doctor lay down with his back against the wall, and Rose curled up in front of him. He spread the blanket over them and settled, keeping his ears alert for any sounds from the Watch.

He had almost killed a Kobold. Back there on the road, when they were close to being overwhelmed, the Doctor had become desperate and lashed out with his magic. He _thought_ he had only given him a superficial burn which one of their healers could take care of, but he couldn't be sure as he didn't stick around to find out. It's not like the Doctor had ever used the spell before, and he didn't exactly know what it did.

He had to be careful. His power over Aether was growing quickly, and he didn't know how far it could go.

Turning his thoughts to Rose, the Doctor sighed, relieved to rest his mind. He gently skimmed over the surface of Rose's idle thoughts, and when he felt her contentment at his mind's touch, he soothed her to sleep.


	11. Cubes

So I woke up ten minutes before I had to leave this morning and forgot to post. Apologies if anyone was expectant, and a special thank-you to my reviewers of either site who tell me they ARE expectant. =) Meanwhile, I write on to delight you, and hopefully all the shy people will enjoy as well!

* * *

The sounds of Verteron's night reigned over the otherwise silent village of Tolbas as the Doctor quietly latched the door to Nemia's house. He pulled in a deep breath of the fresh air, now free of the room with too many humans. He felt for Rose, and when he was satisfied he hadn't woken her, he slowly drew his mental touch away, wishing her to sleep soundly without access to his thoughts possibly troubling her dreams.

He craned his neck to the right, peering towards the northern boundary. There were three Watch members there now. If the Kobolds decided to raid the village in force, he couldn't imagine there were enough people in the entire village to hold them off. His eyes tracked further up the hill towards the Kobold Mine. The Doctor had dropped off to sleep several times for just a few minutes, enough to refresh him from the challenges of earlier that night, but worry of raiding Kobolds had kept the Doctor alert otherwise since they had returned.

The Doctor closed his eyes, focusing on his senses of Time and Space, which told him that morning would come soon. This planet was small, its cycles short. Through the Aether gathering within him, though, he could sense the Aether _around _him. It gave him abilities and an awareness of his surroundings that he wouldn't have on other planets, abilities that he could only take advantage of here.

The power here he readily had access to was staggering.

The Doctor was no stranger to power. He had ruled over Time and Space for so long, travelling when and wherever pleased him. He had his pick of who travelled with him out of everyone in the universe to help him foil the plans of individuals that _sought_ power fanatically, and he had been doing it for longer than anyone of most any other species had been alive.

There had always been rules in place from the beginning, however, rules that had been ingrained into him through the vigorous training of the Time Lords and kept him in check, even when he so often and at times desperately wanted to do more. Concerning his additional abilities here, there were no rules. The possibilities of how far he could go were endless, and the draw of pushing his limits was addictive.

Rose had magical power here, too, he mused with a small smile. Oh, but he was proud of her! While his came in the form of destruction and control, hers brought life. She healed people, which was no surprise to him. She had been doing that for him since he met her. If the Doctor were honest with himself, he was jealous of her ability. He didn't want to destroy. He had chosen his title as "the Doctor" for a reason.

While he had done and seen many wonderful things, it seemed to come with a price. Devastation followed in his wake, no matter how hard he tried sometimes to avoid it. He was only grateful Rose was there to temper him and to remind him of all the good he could do to make up for it.

The door to the larger merchant building just south suddenly creaked open. The small shape of Eradis emerged, caught sight of the Doctor, and softly closed the door behind him. "Oh. Good morning, Doctor," he greeted quietly. "You're up early."

"Yeah, but rested," he assured the small man, hands in pockets and moving closer to Eradis and away from the building of sleeping people. "Early is the best time for thinking."

"Ah, yes, you're a thinking man, I remember. Just be mindful you don't think too much, eh?" Eradis grinned as he made his way towards the long table set out between the houses. "Hungry for breakfast yet? I'd be happy to cook something for you and Rose while you tell me how your journey went."

"Oh, just for me, thanks. I think Rose will sleep a while yet." Eradis nodded, and he went on. "We rescued Tarphonian. He's sleeping now as well." The Doctor paused, his eyes widening as he watched something flash and grow in the chef's hands, and then Eradis was setting a basket on the table. "What? You do magic, too?"

Eradis laughed. "Who, me? I only wish!"

The Doctor pointed. "Where did that come from?"

He gave the Doctor a funny look. "It's only my cube." He looked down into his hand, pinched at something, and pulled another flashing object into existence. He placed the smaller basket next to the first one. "You telling me you don't have one?" The Doctor drew close, and Eradis obliged him. A small ornate box sat on Eradis' palm. The bronze corners formed around a glowing circle on each face. "I shouldn't judge, I suppose. I know not _every_ human has one yet. I keep my wares stored in it at night. Very handy."

"Handy indeed..." the Doctor breathed. He was chilled once again to find what could be evidence of Time Lords in this land, as this very clearly resembled Time Lord technology. "Bigger on the inside..."

Eradis chuckled. "That it is."

"Can I?" the Doctor queried, holding out his hand.

The pointy-eared man was regretful but certain. "Afraid not, if you don't mind. No one hands their cube to anyone, not with their personal belongings within. It's a curious thing, how it seems to become an extension of oneself, isn't it? Like holding a bit of one's brain in one's hand!" Eradis laughed to himself and brightened, holding up a finger. "But! I just recently obtained another cube. Business is doing well, you know, and I needed more room. It doesn't have anything in it at the moment..." He delved a hand into a pocket and produced an identical cube. "You can't have it, I'm afraid, but if you only want to look, be my guest."

"Right, of course." The Doctor plucked it up eagerly while simultaneously pulling his glasses from his inner jacket pocket. He turned it over in his fingers, squinting curiously at it. "Where does it come from?"

Eradis frowned as he went back to laying out the contents of his cube on the table. "Where anyone gets cubes. The Shugo pretty much have the market on cube distribution."

The Doctor continued to watch how Eradis used his cube. "Shugo?"

"Are you telling me you've never seen a Shugo before? Where you been living?"

The Doctor backpedaled a moment, drawing his attention from the cube. "Of course I've seen a Shugo before," he lied, hoping Eradis wouldn't become too suspicious of him. "I just didn't know they made cubes." He held the one in his hand out as if in demonstration. "I mean, everyone's seen the Shugo, like you say. Therefore, I'm surprised I'd never seen a cube."

Eradis seemed satisfied by this and nodded. "Agreed, that is strange. Still, I obtained it from a travelling Wind Breeze Shugo. I'd direct you, but they're always moving about."

"Mm." The Doctor filed that information away for later and again peered at the cube he held, finally sitting at the little round table they had eaten at the night before. At some point, Eradis set his egg breakfast on the table next to him, but it grew cold as the Doctor sonicked the cube with his screwdriver, put things in and pulled things out, and otherwise studied it every which way.

It was late morning when the Doctor was distracted from the bigger-on-the-inside box by a mental touch. He looked over expectantly at the door to Nemia's house, instinctively feeling out for Rose, and was pleased when the door creaked open and Rose appeared. She looked until she locked with his gaze and smiled at him.

"Good morning, sleepy-head," the Doctor greeted warmly.

"Right, that's me, sleepy human that needs more than two hours of sleep." As she walked over to him, the Doctor stood and hugged her.

"Look, I've got something to show you," he said excitedly while pulling out of the hug. He gestured to the object on the table as they sat. "Eradis calls it a cube, but it's much more than it seems." He demonstrated by touching an apple to the top of it. It glowed and vanished, and the Doctor looked to her.

Rose's eyebrows went up. "Where'd it go?"

"Inside," he said, the word weighted with significance.

Rose then stared at him with wide eyes. "How does it fit?"

"Exactly."

Rose looked back to the cube as the Doctor dipped two fingers into the top glowing circle and pulled, and the apple appeared again in his hand. She arched an eyebrow at him. "A box. That's bigger on the inside."

The Doctor nodded. "Sound familiar?"

She leaned in conspiratorially. "Time Lords?"

"Very similar, somehow adapted here with Aether."

"Lady Siel, do you think?"

"Could be, yes. Apparently if I want to learn more, I need to go to the Shugo."

"The wha'?"

He wrinkled his nose and whispered. "I don't know who they are, either, but apparently we _should_." He nodded towards Eradis, who was helping a customer. As Rose looked at Eradis, the Doctor drew her attention back. "Is Tarphonian up?"

"Oh, yes, they all are. I just noticed you left me to wake up alone again, so I had to come find you."

The Doctor winced sheepishly. "Sorry. I couldn't sleep anymore, and I didn't want to wake you."

"S'all right," Rose absolved him. "So long as I get a good morning kiss at some point." She teased her teeth with the point of her tongue, her eyes laughing.

He grinned, loving Rose for being so understanding. Their seats were too far apart, so he stood and Rose stood with him, falling willingly into his embrace as he kissed her sincerely. What a wonderful new life this was, he thought, no longer just sharing adventures with Rose, but the intimacy with her that he had craved for so long.

As they were in a public place, the Doctor left his affections for Rose with just a kiss, holding her a little longer to gaze into her eyes. She finally looked down at the table.

"So, you gonna eat those eggs, then?"

"What?" The Doctor peered over at his forgotten meal. "Oh, right. They're cold, but they still should be okay, if you want them."

"Cold or not, my stomach doesn't care right now," Rose assured him and sat. "Can't let it go to waste. Here, split it with me. You need to eat, too, before you disappear." Rose dug in, swallowing a mouthful before speaking again. "Besides, we've got somewhere to be, don't we?"

The Doctor nodded. "We'll collect Tarphonian and get him home."

Between the two of them, they made short work of the food on the plate. When they were finished, the Doctor returned the cube to Eradis. As they made their way to Nemia's house, Rose elbowed him.

"So that cube wasn't yours, then? And he let you play with it?"

"He said I could look at it," the Doctor defended.

"Look, yeah, but you don't just look at them, do you? You take them apart. You sonicked it, didn't you?"

The Doctor dropped his hands into his pockets, his expression non-committal. "Maybe..."

Tarphonian had been speaking with Diomedes and Nemia and told the Doctor and Rose he was ready to leave when they were. The Doctor collected his Sorcerer's tome while Rose picked up a piece of chain mail Shasa had left for her.

"There's a lot here. I don't think I could carry it all." She laughed to herself. "I suppose I could use one of those cubes, eh? Do you think one would be able to hold it all?"

"I know it could. We don't have a cube, so I suppose you could just put it on."

Rose shook her head at it. "I wouldn't even know how."

"Here, I'm sure I can work it out." The Doctor took the garment from her, turning the combination of plate piece and attached chain over in his hands. He determined it to be a shoulder piece, so he put it down to find the tunic. "There _is_ a lot here. It really is quite a gift."

"Yeah," Rose agreed. "Armour must be really common. Daevas must be considered wealthy if she was willing to just give it away."

The Doctor smiled, standing with the hauberk piece and holding it out over Rose's head. "Well after last night, I'm quite fond of the idea of you being protected. Besides, it's apparently quite fashionable." With the Doctor's help, Rose was soon fully outfitted. They stepped outside, and the Doctor admired her new look.

The armour gleamed a brilliant white in the morning light. Each polished chain ring glinted between the intricately-shaped plates. The V-neck hauberk was fairly short in front, just past the groin, but flared attractively over her hips into points in the back. The chain of the chausses hugged her thighs, plate ribbing adding protection down their lengths and ending at shiny knee guards. The high brogans protected her calves and had heels, making Rose a bit taller.

The large spaulders were the most prominent part of the outfit, protecting her otherwise bare shoulders had she not been wearing her clothing underneath. Poofy cloth sleeves halfway up her arms extended down underneath the handguards that protected her forearms. The handguards ended halfway down her fingers.

The suit moulded to Rose's form as if it were made for her, accentuating her curves. The Doctor had to admit, if there was one thing the people of Elysea were good at, it was making attractive armour.

"Wow."

Rose bit her lip. "Yeah? You like it?"

"I love it. You look beautiful." The Doctor voiced his appreciation sincerely, but there was a part of him that associated armour with weapons. He didn't like weapons, but Rose wouldn't carry one, so he told himself to get over the association for the sake of her protection in this war-riddled world.

Rose grinned and spun around in a circle. "It moves so easily, too!"

Tarphonian joined them outside, looking Rose up and down. "It fits you well," he said, smiling appreciatively.

"Indeed it does," the Doctor agreed and looked to the young man. "Ready to go?"

They said their goodbyes to Diomedes, Nemia and Eradis, and Rose picked up her shoes, which were the only articles that wouldn't fit underneath the armour. The Doctor, Rose, and Tarphonian walked down the hill, and the Doctor saw ahead what appeared to be a teleporter pad with its characteristic winged statue across the road. As they approached, he could see the man who stood there looked different than the teleporters he had seen. The two most prominent features were the winged mask that swept back from his eyes and the wispy cloak reminiscent of wings off the back of his shoulders.

"Coming or going?" the man said.

The Doctor thought this was on odd thing to say, as they were clearly the latter. "We have important business and need to report to Spatalos in Verteron Citadel," he tried.

"Most everyone needing a flight transporter is on important business, but you still have to pay." He named the price, and the Doctor was quite sure Rose didn't have that much kinah left. As his thoughts turned towards the walk back, Tarphonian spoke up.

"I'll pay our way."

"No, Tarphonian, you don't need to do that," Rose said.

"I insist." He came forward, already dropping the coins into the flight transporter's hand. "If it's the way you wish to go, it's the least I can do for you saving my life. My father may be poor, but I've acquired a bit of kinah in my adventures. I'm eager to get home."

Rose looked at the Doctor, and he shrugged. The transporter seemed to consider Tarphonian first since he had paid. There was a flash of light, and the Doctor was startled as an enormous bird creature appeared, ethereal and emerald green. It picked Tarphonian up by the shoulders and flew off.

The Doctor stared, his mouth hanging open for a moment before he realised the same was about to happen to him. Two more ghostly birds appeared in a flash, and the Doctor was promptly picked up as the other went for Rose. He flailed unsteadily for a moment as the ground dropped away, but the creature held him fast.

As they picked up speed to the south out of Tolbas Village, he was pressed back against the bird's belly. He could see its beak a few feet in front of him, its large wings extending outwards to either side as they flapped. He craned his neck to look behind, past the long trailing feathers of its tail. He could see Rose under her own bird. She squealed in delight, and the Doctor laughed, enjoying the ride.

They sailed swiftly over the hills, following the road they had taken yesterday the other direction. The Doctor looked to either side, mapping out the terrain from his privileged perspective. Was this what it was like to be a Daeva?

-^^-W-^^-

In less than ten minutes, the three travellers were soaring through the narrow mountain pass, and Verteron Citadel came into view. After gliding through its entrance, the birds banked to the right and slowed, lowering their riders onto a matching teleporter platform. The Doctor was dropped to his feet. He looked up, but the bird was gone, and Rose and Tarphonian were standing next to him.

"The only way to fly!" the Doctor announced excitedly. "Well, for a short distance, anyway." He winked at Rose and looked around, getting his bearings. "Speaking of the TARDIS...we seem to have landed right on the other side of the apothecary from her! Lovely."

"Thank you both so much. I would not have survived the night without you. I must find my father and let him know I am all right."

"Of course," the Doctor said.

"We're only glad we got to you in time," Rose added.

"Before you go," the Doctor prompted, "where can we find Brigade General Spatalos?"

Tarphonian pointed. "That building there." It was the second largest, in the back of the Citadel next to the priest's hall.

The Doctor and Rose parted ways with Tarphonian and crossed the plaza, past the fountain and up the stairs that wrapped around it. There was an armoured Daeva statue atop the building, its hands resting on the hilt of a downward sword in front of it. A tall shield to either side faced outward, as if they were its wings. A compass design radiated out behind its head.

They passed a man in white plate at the entrance, one of the four-legged crimson birds at his side. Through the archway, they stepped onto a red carpet that led to a throne in the back of the hall. Two cross swords over a banner decorated the wall behind it, and tall candelabras stood to either side. There was a man to the right with the same red griffin-like creature, and upon the throne sat a white-haired man in brown and blue plate armour.

"Brigade General Spatalos?" the Doctor greeted.

The battle-hardened man looked up distractedly. "That's me."

"I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose."

Recognition showed on Spatalos' face. "Ah, the Daeva Shasa said you would be coming. She said you know Krall and overheard their words in some sort of ritual. Shasa's report was quite brief."

The Doctor nodded. "It was some sort of human sacrifice. The Tursin shaman needed 'human blood for the master's work.' Who are their masters?"

Spatalos braced his hands on his knees. "That would be the Balaur. This is the first I've heard of someone being captured specifically for a sacrifice."

"It said the blood would bring their _future_ masters to human and Krall land."

"That's what Shasa said, and I fear it may indicate some way of opening an Abyss Gate. I've sent her to Heiron to relay the message to Perento. The Indratu Legion of Balaur have a foothold there already in the southeast, and they may know where they're planning to go next."

The Doctor wasn't interested in their war. "What did it mean by 'future' masters?"

Spatalos shrugged. "Are you sure you heard the word correctly? It doesn't mean anything to me." He pondered a moment, head to the side. "Unless..."

The Doctor perked up. "Unless what?" The General didn't respond. "Spatalos? Anything you know may be important."

Spatalos raised an eyebrow at him. "Mind your tongue. It's I who will decide what's important." He waved a hand dismissively. "I don't know yet, at any rate. I'll need to ask around. Here's a reward for assisting Shasa in obtaining information." Spatalos held out a small leather sack. "Speak to Guardian General Perento in New Heiron Gate if you wish, but don't waste his time. Going after the Indratu Legion would be a mistake, unless you wish to die."

"We're not interested in kinah, but thank you," the Doctor replied.

"Sure we are," Rose said, stepping forward and taking the sack. The Doctor gave her a look, but she didn't seem fazed as she rejoined him. "A Cleric's got to eat, unless you plan on sonicking a vault or psychic-papering a merchant." She bowed her head to Spatalos. "Thank you, Brigade General for your time. We'll be going now."

It was the Doctor's turn to raise an eyebrow, specifically at Rose as she marched towards the door. He followed her out, watching the way she moved in her chain armour.

"Where to next, do you think?" Rose asked once they were outside.

"Well," the Doctor replied automatically, sucking in a deep breath as he thought. "This Heiron place, I suppose. Spatalos knows something. Perhaps we can get somewhere with this General Perento."

Golben and Tarphonian spotted them and approached, the father clearly overjoyed. "Doctor and Rose, thank you so much for finding me my son! I only wish I had more to offer you for his safe return."

The Doctor would have told Golben that it was nothing at all, but it really was. It had been highly dangerous business going into Krall territory, and without Shasa's quick healing, it would have cost him a regeneration. Rose would have been captured as well. A new, dreadful thought occurred to him—Rose was young enough that the Krall might have used her in their ritual.

"Everything worked out in the end," Rose assured Golben, and the Doctor wondered if her thoughts had been taking the same path as his. With a small smile, the Doctor realised that it was telepathically possible he _could_ find out her thoughts almost instantly if he wanted to without anyone else noticing.

"Where will you go next?" Tarphonian asked, his eyes eager. He no doubt wished to come along, wherever it was. The Doctor opened his mouth to say, but he changed his mind. It wouldn't do for the young adventurous spirit to follow into trouble after them.

"Not sure yet." An idea struck him. "Actually, I owe Rose lunch. Something about cold eggs for breakfast." He gestured to her and winked. "Bit of a breather, I think."

"Join us for lunch, then!" Tarphonian said. "We..." he looked to his father, "well, don't really have much, but I'll buy you lunch at Drasia's!"

The Doctor looked between them at their happy faces. He knew they didn't have much, and while the gesture was appreciated, he didn't want them to feel obligated to spend what little they had on them. Besides, they had kinah now that they could buy for themselves, and now that the Doctor had brought it up, the idea of treating Rose to something special was growing on him.

Rose was looking up at him and biting her lip, but her expression was otherwise blank. Deciding to test their mental bond, the Doctor felt for her. To his delight, not only was the usual comfort of her presence apparent, but her thoughts were readily accessible. They shared a wide grin at their accomplishment in developing the less physical aspect of their bond, a grin that no doubt was confusing to the two men. He looked to them and straightened his expression. "We really do appreciate the offer. Really, we do. You want to repay us." He looked again to Rose. "But for today, I want to treat Rose to something special, just us." He looked to Golben and Tarphonian again. "You understand. Perhaps we'll take you up on the offer another day?"

Golben was nodding graciously. "Of course we do. Thank you again. We look forward to your next visit! Come, my son," he placed a hand on his son's back to guide him away, even as Tarphonian looked as if he wanted to argue, but the younger man finally nodded, smiled, and waved to them.

"So," Rose began as they made their way towards the TARDIS. "Doing something special for lunch, eh?"

The Doctor grinned. "I guess we are. Let's see what Heiron has to eat?"


End file.
